Andy Murray has admitted to being just one serious injury away from retirement as he bids for an improved showing in the Australian Open next month.
The three-time Grand Slam winner has been resurrected by the hip resurfacing surgery he had in 2019. The procedure involved attaching a metal cap to the ball in his hip and has helped the icon return full-time to the circuit.
And he'll be targeting an improved showing in the major events in 2023, having not been past the third round in a Slam in 2022. Murray also hasn't progressed further than round two in Melbourne since 2017, but insists he's currently in good shape despite being well aware of the implications of injury.
"If my body is in good shape and I'm still able to compete consistently, I'll keep playing," he told Sky Sports. "But I can't look so far in advance with the age I'm at and with the issues I've had. If I was to have a big injury, I probably wouldn't try to come back from that."
The 35-year-old also revealed he's spent time in the US in preparation for playing down under, with the tournament getting underway on January 16: "I spent three weeks in Florida, getting my body right and getting some work done on my game and it went really well," Murray said.
"I'm certainly in better shape than I was. A lot of work was done in the gym, trying to build up my endurance and my stamina a bit and I'm hoping that's going to help me next year."
Murray will be getting a run out this week, forming part of the Scotland team facing England in the Battle of the Brits exhibition tournament in Aberdeen. He'll play Jack Draper and then Dan Evans, before teaming up with bother Jamie to play doubles against Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski.
"All of the players that are here are very competitive. You've got myself, Jamie, Neal and Joe have all been number one in the world," Murray said. "It's a little bit like the Laver Cup; it was an event that was seen as being an exhibition, but when you get there and you're playing in front of a big crowd and you're surrounded by the people that you're surrounded by, it whets your competitive instincts."
Murray took part in the Laver Cup in September, where Roger Federer bid an emotional farewell to tennis. However, he wasn't able to prevent Team Europe losing out to Team World for the first time.
