Andy Murray has undergone hip resurfacing surgery in an attempt to prolong his career.

The three-time Grand Slam champion had the operation in London on Monday, he announced on Instagram.

It does not guarantee the Scot will be able to make a comeback, but will allow him to live a pain-free life.

Murray said on Instagram: “I underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in London yesterday morning… feeling a bit battered and bruised just now but hopefully that will be the end of my hip pain.

“I now have a metal hip.”

The 31-year-old had previously said ahead of the Australian Open earlier this month that he intended to retire after this year’s Wimbledon.

He went on to lose in five sets to Roberto Bautista Agut in an epic first round clash before suggesting he could yet play on.

Murray, the former world number one, has been battling hip problems for a number of years and spent 11 months out of the sport between 2017-2018.

He made a long-awaited comeback at Queen’s last summer but pulled out of Wimbledon and struggled to play matches.

It was hoped an extensive rehabilitation period in Philadelphia, followed by a gruelling pre-season stint in Miami might prove the answer, but Murray was still in significant pain on the court.

Now has has decided to undergo a second round of surgery on his troublesome hip joint, 12 months after the first one, which did not solve the issue.

Murray will go through an extensive rehabilitation process to see if he can play again.

Novak Djokovic produced one of the great grand slam final performances to swat aside Rafael Nadal and become the first man to win seven titles at the Australian Open.

The predictions had been for something akin to their near six-hour battle in the final here seven years ago but Djokovic had other ideas, taking just two hours and four minutes to claim a 6-3 6-2 6-3 victory and a 15th slam crown.

The title, his first in Melbourne since 2016, separated him from the tie he was in with Roy Emerson and Roger Federer, while Djokovic is the first man ever to win three successive slam titles on three different occasions.

Three years ago, of course, he went on to make it four in a row by winning the French Open, and on this form even Nadal on clay will be hard pushed to prevent a repeat.

Part of the problem was that the Spaniard did not appear to trust the more aggressive game that had carried him through to the final without the loss of a set and instead reverted to his more defensive clay-court style.

That was manna from heaven for Djokovic, who, instead of fearing the Nadal forehand, sees it as something to be attacked, and time and again he got his reward.

This was their seventh meeting in a slam final and the first to be decided in straight sets, with Djokovic’s final tally of 34 winners and only nine unforced errors demonstrating just what an extraordinary performance this was.

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Nadal began their 53rd meeting trailing 27-25 but had not won a set in seven hard-court matches against Djokovic since 2013 so perhaps it was not surprising he began nervously.

Djokovic was ruthless, dropping only one point in the first three games, and only one on serve in a first set that was far less close than the scoreline suggested.

Nadal, who came into the tournament having not played a competitive match since the US Open, was so tight he completely missed an attempted forehand but by the end of the nine games there were at least signs that he was starting to warm to his task.

But the forehand, which has been so destructive this tournament, continued to be more miss than hit and nothing less than perfection was going to be good enough against Djokovic in this form.

He broke the Nadal serve again to lead 3-2 and finished off the second set with a run of five games in a row.

Djokovic appeared to be throwing in drop shots just to give himself a challenge so utterly in control was he, and the pattern did not change in the third set, with the Serbian moving ahead in the third game.

He finally faced a break point at 3-2 but Nadal netted and with that went his final chance to get any kind of foothold in the match.

Djokovic clinched victory on his second match point when, aptly, Nadal missed once more with a forehand.

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis

Naomi Osaka beat Petra Kvitova 7-6 (2) 5-7 6-4 to be crowned Australian Open champion and become the new world number one.

The 21-year-old from Japan, the first Asian person to top the singles rankings, built on her maiden title at the US Open and made it back-to-back slam successes.

Judging by what will surely be the first two of many slam finals, Osaka does not do routine. But, while her victory over Serena Williams in New York was all about controversy and meltdowns, this time the drama was all on the scoreboard.

At a set and 5-3 with Kvitova facing three match points, Osaka looked poised to stroll over the finish line only to lose four games in a row and the second set.

She had lost her head, too, but one of the most impressive things about her this fortnight has been the way she has overcome every mental hurdle placed in front of her and so it proved again.

Kvitova, who would also have become number one with victory, was playing in her first grand slam final since winning her second Wimbledon title in 2014 and only two years after the knife attack at her home that put her career in the balance.

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The Czech had won her last eight finals and more than played her part in a generally high-quality encounter but in the end had no answer.

Osaka and Kvitova are two of the biggest hitters on the women’s tour and long rallies were scarce as both looked to unleash at the first opportunity.

Osaka came under pressure at 2-2 and 3-3 but saved a combined five break points, while also seeing a break point on the Kvitova serve well saved by the Czech.

Somewhat strangely, the pair had never faced each other before, and Osaka’s lack of experience against top-class left-handers was one of the match-up’s unknown factors.

Osaka struggled to read Kvitova’s serve initially but picked up the pace in the 12th game, forcing two set points. She could not take either, though, Kvitova producing a tremendously gutsy forehand to save the first and then a big serve on the second.
However, the Czech was simply outplayed in the tie-break, Osaka powering a return onto the line for a winner on the second point and not looking back.

Given Osaka had won her last 59 matches when taking the first set, the size of Kvitova’s task was clear, but the 28-year-old responded well and secured the first break of the match on her seventh chance.

However, a missed opportunity to make it 3-0 looked very costly as Osaka won five of the next six games. When she won the next three points to bring up three match points, it appeared the trophy was hers.

But Karolina Pliskova’s win over Serena Williams from 1-5 and match points down showed that a tennis match is never over until the final ball is hit, and this time it was her fellow Czech mounting the unlikely comeback.

Osaka was struggling to hold back tears as she left the court for a bathroom break but not for no reason has she now won 60 straight matches when claiming the first set.

Ending Kvitova’s run of five straight games was crucial and, when Osaka powered a backhand full of anger and frustration past Kvitova to break for 2-1, the power had shifted once more.

Stepping up to serve for the match for a second time, Osaka’s demons were nowhere to be seen and she clinched her fifth match point to ascend to the throne as the new queen of tennis.

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis

Jamie Murray has described Dan Evans as “ill-informed and dumb” as the war of words about the profile of doubles within British tennis intensified.

Jamie, older brother of men’s singles star Andy Murray, accused the Lawn Tennis Association of not promoting the success of doubles enough and undervaluing his coach, Louis Cayer, on Saturday.

That prompted Evans to fire back, telling the Daily Mail: “Jamie thinks we should be celebrating six pairs inside the main draw of a grand slam. So we are celebrating people who didn’t make it at singles and people who didn’t have the attitude to work hard enough to make it in the singles game?

“I like the doubles guys and they’ve done well, but to think we should celebrate this so the kids growing up look up to this as a huge achievement is completely wrong. Kids want to be in the second round of main draw singles events not doubles.”

After reaching the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles and the mixed doubles at the Australian Open, Murray did not hold back in his response, claiming Evans, who is working his way back up the rankings after a one-year suspension for cocaine use, has “made a hash of his career”.

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“For me these are lazy comments to make,” he told a press conference. “It is ill-informed and dumb really. Also, to question the reason that we are on the doubles tour is because we don’t work as hard as the singles guys is just total nonsense.

“I’ve been playing the tour since 2007, travelling the world, working my ass off to stay at the top of the game and make a living for myself.

“To come from someone who really hasn’t applied himself as much as he should, and really he has made a hash of his career with his decision-making and stuff. To come out with those sort of comments is just ignorant I think. For me it’s really disappointing.

“Of course when people start playing they want to be singles players because, if you look at the prize money and the glory and stuff, that’s where it is. I’m playing on a tour where 80 per cent of the prize money goes to the singles. At the grand slams it’s even more.

“So we’ve got a much smaller slice of the pie, but I still manage to make a good living playing tennis. Let’s be honest, a lot better living than what Dan has done in his career.

“If he does something that’s noteworthy and deserves recognition then absolutely he should get it, along with anybody else that’s got a GBR next to their name. But just to kind of lazily trash the doubles game, for me it annoys me a lot.”

The row is potentially a problem for Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, with Murray and Evans long-standing members of the team, although Britain do not play until November.

Evans is well known as a straight-talking character, and Murray added: “I’m friends with him. I like him. You know what he’s like, he’s a character. He’ll shoot from the hip, he won’t necessarily think first before speaking, but, if that’s how he feels, that how he feels.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of other guys that maybe think the same but I’m not going to lose sleep over what he thinks about doubles.”

One of Murray’s initial complaints had been that he felt Cayer should be performance director at the LTA, a position held by Simon Timson.

But Cayer insisted he did not want the job, telling the BBC: “I have no intention, I didn’t apply, I don’t want to be performance director. My passion is to coach players on court, and to coach coaches. I’m very valued.”

Cayer also disagreed with Murray that doubles is not supported enough, saying: “Everyone acknowledges that the British doubles system is a world-leading thing. We are recognised internationally, and Jamie is very recognised in Great Britain. I think the LTA really recognises and supports the doubles.”

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis

Roger Federer’s was dumped out of the Australian Open by 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas at Rod Laver Arena.

The Greek, who was not born when Federer made his professional debut, has rapidly established himself as one of the most exciting propsects in the game and backed it up spectacularly with a 6-7 (11) 7-6 (3) 7-5 7-6 (5) victory to move through to a first grand slam quarter-final.

Federer had not lost a match at Melbourne Park since a semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic in 2016 but his often brilliant forehand was wayward, especially at the big moments, and he failed to take four set points in the second set that might well have changed the outcome.

The 37-year-old must have glimpsed something of his younger self in his opponent, from the flowing single-handed backhand, the willingness to charge the net, and the confidence to believe he could beat his childhood idol, just as Federer did to Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001.

Tsitsipas said: “Roger is a legend of the sport, (I have) so much respect for him. He showed such good tennis over the years. I’ve been idolising him since the age of six. It was a dream come true just being on Rod Laver facing him. Winning at the end, I cannot describe it.”

There was drama from the first game, when Tsitsipas was given two time violations, resulting in the loss of a first serve, and saved two break points.

But from there he grew into the match impressively and held his serve more comfortably than Federer, who was struggling to find the timing on his forehand, through to the tie-break.

With the tension levels creeping up and up during a dramatic game, Tsitsipas had three set-point opportunities but could not take them and it was Federer who pounced, taking advantage when his opponent appeared to be put off by a shout from the crowd.

Tsitsipas has received raucous support during the tournament from Melbourne’s large Greek population but, with Rod Laver Arena not open to ground pass holders, most of them had to make do with cheering him on from in front of the big screen.

The noise, which could be heard in Laver, gradually reduced as Federer began to pile on the pressure in the second set. Tsitsipas saved four break points across two long service games and then four set points at 4-5.

But that galvanised the young Greek, who stands out from the crowd not just with his flamboyant game but his love of photography and philosophy, and he played much the better tie-break to level the match.

Federer had tightened back up, with his forehand a liability whenever he had an opportunity to press. Having failed to take any of 10 break points across the first two sets, he missed two more chances in the sixth game of the third set.

In the next game, Tsitsipas had his first two openings on Federer’s serve but the Swiss, too, stood firm. However, serving at 5-6, Federer again coughed up two opportunities and this time Tsitsipas took one, inevitably on a forehand error.

Rather like when he wilted in the heat against John Millman at the same stage of the US Open, this was a reminder that Federer is trying to achieve unprecedented things, and even the greatest cannot win the ageing game.

Andy Murray showed that his hip injury has not dulled his fighting qualities as he battled for four remarkable hours before falling to a five-set loss against Roberto Bautista Agut in what could be his last professional match at the Australian Open.

Murray tearfully announced on Friday that he is planning to retire this year, and maybe as soon as after this tournament, the 31-year-old threatened a miracle but was ultimately beaten 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-7 (4) 6-2 by the Spanish 22nd seed.

Murray’s hopes were not high given the state of his right hip but this was a remarkable performance for a man who admits he struggles to put his shoes and socks on.

A kinder draw and Murray might well have delayed the seemingly inevitable but Bautista Agut is one of the fittest and grittiest players on tour, and he fought off the Scot’s comeback.

The snaking queues outside Melbourne Arena of tennis fans wanting to see Murray was a sight to behold and he was greeted by a deafening roar as he emerged onto the court, which has seats available to holders of ground passes.

Murray waved and held a thumb up, no doubt determined to soak it all in.

His coaching team, Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, friend and former coach Dani Vallverdu, British players Katie Swan and Harriet Dart and mum Judy were among those in attendance and they were joined during the opening set by brother Jamie, who rarely watches Andy live because he finds it too stressful.

If that was an indication this was far from just another match, the early stages were encouraging, with Murray moving much better than he had in Thursday’s practice match against Novak Djokovic that set the alarm bells jangling.

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He was striking his backhand well but movement to the forehand remained a major issue and the ever-present limp slowly became more pronounced.

It was a tough situation for Bautista Agut, taking on the crowd and an opponent who was clearly not at full fitness but whose capabilities on the day remained a question mark.

The Spaniard took the first set after breaking at 4-4 and Murray’s chuntering to himself was a reminder that he still very much wanted to win a tennis match.

There were flickers early in the second set with two break points but Bautista Agut went on to take that too. It would not be Murray, though, if he did not go down without a fight, and fight he did.

Broken for 1-2 in the third set, he hit straight back, pushing a backhand down the line to finish a vintage point and holding his arms aloft.

There were more celebrations when he fought off a break point at 4-4, and he forced a first set point in the next game. He would have taken it, too, but for an overrule from umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore on a second serve that was backed up by HawkEye.

But Murray was not to be denied in the tie-break, creating two set points when Bautista Agut shanked a forehand over the baseline and taking the second with a forehand guided into the open court.

Murray roared in delight and defiance, his fighter’s instinct drowning out the pain.

And the heroics did not end there. Murray matched Bautista Agut throughout the fourth set and was the better player in the tie-break.

But he was unable to maintain his momentum early in the fifth set, with Bautista Agut winning five games in a row.

Murray fought back tears as he served at 1-5 but there was still time for one more magic moment as he saved a match point by finishing a long rally with an angled volley winner.

The three-time grand slam champion must now decide on his next move, having said on Friday that his original plan to retire after Wimbledon is in jeopardy because of the amount of pain he is in.

That was echoed by the Scot’s surgeon, and Murray may well choose to have a second operation straight away to improve his quality of life.

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis

Andy Murray’s career will be recognised with a statue at Wimbledon.

Murray, who became the first British player in 77 years to win the men’s singles title at the All England Club in 2013, is retiring from tennis this year due to continuing pain in his hip.

A bronze statue of three-time Wimbledon champion Fred Perry was unveiled at the club’s grounds in 1984, and Murray’s achievements are also set to be commemorated.

All England club chief executive Richard Lewis told the BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme: “We always felt that when Andy retired, that would be the appropriate time to recognise his extraordinary career.

“I am sure something like that (a statue) will be done, but meanwhile down at the club he is seen as a highly-respected person both on and off the court.

“We are very fond of him and he is a great person to have around the club.”

Andy Murray is set to return to the Grand Slam stage next week and you can catch all the action LIVE on talkSPORT 2.

The Scot made an emotional retirement announcement in the lead up to the Australian Open by admitting the tournament could be his last.

While the former world number one is hoping to continue until Wimbledon this summer, his horrendous injury problems could mean his run in Melbourne will be his final taste of Grand Slam tennis.

Murray will take on 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut in his first round match on the hard courts.

Here’s how you can keep up to date with all the action from Australia LIVE on talkSPORT 2.

Andy Murray LIVE on talkSPORT 2

We will have full commentary of every match Murray plays at the Australian Open.

Our reporter, Anne-Marie Batson, is at the tournament and will be providing updates throughout each day.

Andy Murray LIVE on talkSPORT 2 – how to listen

To listen to all the action from Melbourne, you can click below or here for the live commentary stream.

You can also listen through the talkSPORT App, on DAB Digital Radio or on MW 1053 or 1089.

For more information about how to listen LIVE on talkSPORT click here.

Andy Murray is set to return to the Grand Slam stage next week and you can catch all the action LIVE on talkSPORT 2.

The Scot made an emotional retirement announcement in the lead up to the Australian Open by admitting the tournament could be his last.

While the former world number one is hoping to continue until Wimbledon this summer, his horrendous injury problems could mean his run in Melbourne will be his final taste of Grand Slam tennis.

Murray will take on 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut in his first round match on the hard courts.

Here’s how you can keep up to date with all the action from Australia LIVE on talkSPORT 2.

Andy Murray LIVE on talkSPORT 2

We will have full commentary of every match Murray plays at the Australian Open.

Our reporter, Anne-Marie Batson, is at the tournament and will be providing updates throughout each day.

Andy Murray LIVE on talkSPORT 2 – how to listen

To listen to all the action from Melbourne, you can click below or here for the live commentary stream.

You can also listen through the talkSPORT App, on DAB Digital Radio or on MW 1053 or 1089.

For more information about how to listen LIVE on talkSPORT click here.

Sir Andy Murray is set to call time on his illustrious career at this summer’s Wimbledon Grand Slam.

The 31-year-old former world number one has been struggling with a chronic hip condition for more than a year-and-a-half and will hang up his racket this year.

Murray is set to play at the Australian Open next week and is planning to then carry on until Wimbledon.

But he has admitted the severity of his injuries may mean he’ll have to end his career early and not get his dream send off at The All England Club.

Will Andy Murray play at Wimbledon 2019?

As it stands yes, Murray will play his last Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon. The Scot is hoping to bow out after the showpiece in SW19 but knows his fitness problems may mean he’ll end his career in Melbourne.

He said: “I’m going to play [at the Australian Open]. I can still play to a level. Not a level that I’m happy playing at. But it’s not just that. The pain is too much really and I don’t want to continue playing that way.

”During my training block [in Miami last month] I spoke to my team and told them I can’t keep doing this. I needed to have an end point because I was sort of playing with no idea when the pain was going to stop.

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“I said to my team, look I think I can get through this until Wimbledon. That’s where I’d like to stop playing. But I’m also not certain I’m able to do that.”

Asked if the Australian Open could be his last tournament, Murray added: “Yes I think there’s a chance of that for sure because I’m not sure I’m able to play through the pain for another four or five months.”

Andy Murray’s Wimbledon record

Murray made his Wimbledon debut in 2005 and made the third round before being beaten by David Nalbandian in five sets.

He reached three straight semi-finals between 2009 and 2011 before losing to Roger Federer in the 2012 final.

Murray then won his first Wimbledon title a year later, seeing off Novak Djokovic in straight sets and claimed glory again in 2016, beating Milos Raonic.

His last appearance at the tournament was his five-set quarter-final defeat to Sam Querrey in 2017.

Wimbledon 2019 tournament dates

This year’s Grand Slam will held between July 1 and July 14. It will be the 133rd edition of the famous grass court tournament.

Novak Djokovic won the Men’s Singles last year while Angelique Kerber claimed glory in the Women’s Singles.

Wimbledon 2019 prize money

While the prize pot for this year’s Grand Slam has not been confirmed as of yet, the total amount paid out in 2018 with £34million.

The total prize money has increased every year with £2.4million more awarded in 2018 than in 2017.

Djokovic and Kerber both picked up cheques worth £2.25million for winning last summer.

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis