Andy Murray recently underwent successful hip surgery and says he's feeling better than he has in years, but he doesn't sound confident that it will allow him to compete at Wimbledon this year.
Murray, 31, had hip resurfacing surgery in January after battling lingering issues for nearly two years. In an interview with BBC Sport this week, the three-time Grand Slam champ said that he's no longer dealing with the pain that plagued him, but his chances of competing at Wimbledon this year are "less than 50 percent."
"The operation went well," said Murray. "I'm feeling good and walking around pain free - which hasn't been the case for pretty much 18 months, two years."
Going into the surgery, Murray knew there was a significant possibility that the procedure could end his competitive playing career. He elected to have the treatment anyway in an effort to mitigate the day-to-day pain caused by his right hip.
"The reason for having the surgery was to improve all the day-to-day things and my quality of life. I wasn't enjoying tennis, I wasn't enjoying going out for walks and doing basic things - it was painful tying my laces. I wanted to get rid of that," he said.
Before undergoing the surgery earlier this year, the former world No. 1 tearfully announced that he would retire at some point in 2019 due to the persistent hip issues. He was hoping the pain would be manageable enough for him gut it out until Wimbledon this summer, but ultimately he chose to undergo the operation shortly after.
It seems highly unlikely that he'll be able to compete at Wimbledon considering he wouldn't be cleared for any high-impact training until May at the earliest. That being said, he doesn't seem all that discouraged by the idea he may not return to the court at any level.
"I don't feel any pressure to come back and play," Murray said. "I don't feel like I have to get back to playing Wimbledon or playing tennis again. I just want the hip to be as good as it can be and if it allows me to play, that's brilliant. If not, I'm not in pain anymore and I'm happy with that."
Regardless of whether he manages to make a comeback, Murray will go down as one of the best tennis players of this generation. He's a two-time Wimbledon champ, a former US Open champ, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a Davis Cup champion, and winner of the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals.