Considering he has carried the hopes of a nation on his shoulders for almost two decades, it’s perhaps no surprise that Andy Murray’s 37-year-old body has started to buckle and break down. The big one was an operation in 2019 that left him with a metal right hip. But injuries have been a recurring feature of his latter career: the latest is a spinal cyst that required back surgery last weekend. The recovery period for that is typically six to 12 weeks; by Wednesday, Murray – one of the most belligerent competitors any sport has seen – was hitting balls again.
As for playing at Wimbledon, which starts tomorrow, Murray is keeping us guessing. He is slated to face the Czech world No 38 Tomas Machac on Tuesday. “I would say it’s probably more likely that I’m not able to play singles right now,” he said last week. “I’m also doing rehab 24/7 to try to give myself that opportunity to play there again.”
