Australian Open participation in doubt for Andy Murray

What's the story?

Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Brisbane International owing to a hip injury that makes him doubtful for the upcoming Australian Open, scheduled to begin in Melbourne on January 15.

In case you didn't know

The Briton played his last competitive match at the Wimbledon Championships, where he was knocked out by Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals. He took some time off for the treatment of his hip and was hoping to make a comeback in Brisbane International to get some game time at the highest level before the Australian Open, which is just a fortnight away.

The heart of the matter

Before coming to Australia, he played a set in Abu Dhabi to initiate his comeback and it was a good sight to see Murray back on the court. But his decision to pull out of the tournament signifies that his rehab has not been up to the mark.

Murray was suggested surgery by the doctors at the end of July but he preferred to go with the long rehab and it has been quite a frustrating rehab for the former World No. 1, who is now languishing at the 16th position.

What's next?

Like Murray, former World No.1 Novak Djokovic also had an injury-riddled 2017 season. An elbow injury pushed him to the sidelines post the Wimbledon Championships, where he retired against Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. The Serb had to pull out of the 2018 season-opening Mubadala Championships and the Qatar Open as his elbow pain has flared up once again.

Other stars like Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka are also in a race to get fit ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.

Author's take

Just like the fans, let's hope everyone brushes off their injury in time and comes back for the Australian Open and makes the first Grand Slam of the year star-studded.