Andy Murray looks set to call time on his illustrious career after admitting defeat in his efforts to recover from a hip problem.

The Scot announced his intention to retire after Wimbledon but conceded he may be forced to quit following the upcoming Australian Open.

He will go down not just as the best British player of all time but one of the greats of the strongest era in men’s tennis.

Here, talkSPORT.com picks out the key numbers of Murray’s career.

1 – Murray became the first British singles player ever to officially be ranked world number one on November 7, 2016.

41 – The number of weeks the Scot spent on top of the rankings.

3 – Grand slam titles

11 – Grand slam finals

45 – Career singles titles

2 – Doubles titles, both with brother Jamie

9 – Singles titles in 2016, including five in a row to end the season as world number one

2 – Olympic singles gold medals

11 – Murray won all 11 rubbers he contested to drive Great Britain to Davis Cup glory in 2015, an unprecedented feat

663 – Tour-level matches won

61,055,135 – Career prize money, in US dollars

3 – Only person to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year three times

5,573 – Aces served

29 – Combined wins against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Kyle Edmund led tributes from the tennis world after Andy Murray announced his intention to retire.

The Scot broke down in tears as he detailed plans to retire at this summer’s Wimbledon, but conceded Monday’s match against Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Australian Open could be his last.

Murray laid bare the effects of the pain in his right hip that has dogged him for more than 18 months.

The 31-year-old has played a mentoring role with a number of British players but none more significant than Edmund, who overtook him as the country’s leading player after reaching the semi-finals here 12 months ago.

Edmund said: “For me he’s been my biggest role model out of any tennis player. He’s Britain’s greatest tennis player ever and you could say maybe Britain’s best sportsman ever.

“To be able to have had the experiences that I’ve had with him and memories in terms of training with him and getting to know him personally and seeing what he’s done on the court and achieved, he’s definitely helped my career.

“It’s obviously not nice to read that he’s going to be retiring at some point but, at the same time, it’s a nice way to reflect his career, knowing that he’s going to be done, and seeing what he’s achieved. It’s been amazing.”

The prevailing feeling among British tennis players was one of sadness, with Johanna Konta saying: “I can’t imagine the sport without him to be honest. He has just been there all the time.”

Murray’s support for women and the women’s game was also appreciated by British number one Konta, who said: “There have been so many examples of when he has stood up for us – not just for women’s tennis but women in general.

“He has also been blessed with two daughters and I think he’s grown up with a really strong female role model with his mum and now his wife is also a strong character so he is surrounded by great, strong women.

“He has put that through in the way he has voiced his opinions and the way he has tackled some questions and issues that have arisen and I think everybody has always been very appreciative of him.”

Billie Jean King added her tribute, writing on Twitter: “You are a champion on and off the court. So sorry you cannot retire on your own terms, but remember to look to the future. Your greatest impact on the world may be yet to come. Your voice for equality will inspire future generations. Much love to you and your family.”

German player Andrea Petkovic told reporters: “He was always my favourite, and I think it will be a huge loss for tennis in general, but also for the WTA. Because even nowadays, when you think everything is equal, you still need men, especially successful men, to speak up for women.”

Murray is a well-respected and popular figure in the locker room, and his friends and rivals were quick to add their tributes.

Grigor Dimitrov said: “For sure he will be missed. He’s been a great friend above everything.

“His sense of humour at times is so weird but I enjoy it. We just recently had dinner in Brisbane. He’s overall a great guy, great competitor, loves the sport, gave so much to the sport and proved that with hard work everything is possible.

“I really wish him the best because it’s also a new beginning for the rest of his life. I just hope he can finish at his favourite tournament at Wimbledon.”

An emotional Andy Murray announced he is planning to retire after Wimbledon this year but fears that next week’s Australian Open could prove to be the final tournament of his career.

The former world number one has battled a chronic hip condition for more than 18 months, undergoing surgery in Melbourne a year ago, but was forced to admit in a tearful press conference in Australia on Friday that his efforts have not been enough.

Murray was on the verge of breaking down as he entered the press room and, asked how his hip was feeling, managed to say “not great” before being overcome by his emotions and having to leave the room.

He returned after several minutes to deliver his devastating news, saying: “Obviously I’ve been struggling for a long time. I’ve been in a lot of pain for about 20 months now.

“I’ve pretty much done everything that I could to try and get my hip feeling better and it hasn’t helped loads. I’m in a better place than I was six months ago but still in a lot of pain. It’s been tough.”

Murray will contest his first-round match against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday but that may prove to be the final match of his illustrious career.

The 31-year-old said: “I’m going to play. 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.

“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.

After another pause while Murray sat with his head on the desk, he was asked whether this might be his last tournament.

“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,” he said.

“I have an option to have another operation, which is a little bit more severe than what I’ve had before in having my hip resurfaced, which will allow me to have a better quality of life and be out of pain.

“That’s something I’m seriously considering right now. Some athletes have had that and gone back to competing but there’s obviously no guarantees with that and the reason for having an operation like that is not to return to professional sport, it’s just for a better quality of life.”

The hip problem first emerged after his French Open semi- final loss to Stan Wawrinka in June 2017, although Murray revealed as he limped through Wimbledon that he had been managing a condition for a number of years.

He did not play again for nearly 12 months but had been relentlessly positive about his progress despite all evidence to the contrary. It was clear, though, as he started this season that something had changed.

Despite spending four months focusing on reconditioning ahead of 2019 in an effort to start the year healthy, his movement was still restricted in a loss to Daniil Medvedev in Brisbane and then even more so in a dispiriting practice match against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne on Thursday.

After that he headed off to see John O’Donnell, the surgeon who performed the operation last year.

“I have a severely damaged right hip,” said Murray. “Having the operation last year was to give it the best possible chance of being better.

Andy Murray enjoyed a winning return to the court with a first-round victory at the Brisbane International, but admitted afterwards that he does not know how much longer he can play competitive tennis.

Sir Andy kicked off 2019 with a tough straight sets win over Australian wildcard James Duckworth – his first match since September.

The former world number one appeared to fight back tears as he reflected on his battle to resume his career following hip surgery, saying it had been “really hard”.

Speaking in his on-court interview after the match, the Scot said of his recovery: “It’s not easy to sort of sum up in one sentence or one answer, it’s been really hard; 18 months, a lot of ups and downs, it’s been tricky to just get back on the court competing again.

“So I’m happy I’m back out here again, I want to try and enjoy it as much as I can and just try and enjoy playing tennis as long as I can. I don’t know how much longer it’s going to last but we’ll see.”

It was in Brisbane last January when Murray decided that he would have to undergo surgery for a problem that first surfaced in the summer of 2017.

The two-time Wimbledon champion managed just half a dozen tournaments in 2018 and spent several periods during the last six months in Philadelphia working with a reconditioning specialist.

Now ranked 240 in the world, he appeared positive about his meeting with Duckworth, who is six places above him in the ATP rankings.

Murray said he thought he “did quite well”, but admitted he may have been “a little bit nervous” at the start of the match.

“I think for a first match of the new year after quite a long break it was alright,” The 31-year-old said.

Murray broke Duckworth three times in a match which lasted just short of 90 minutes, the first in the sixth game of the first set.

But the 26-year-old Australian fought back, breaking Murray in the seventh.

Murray returned fire to break back in the eighth game before serving out the set.

Duckworth kept up the pressure in the second set, forcing his opponent to fight back from four break points in the second game.

But Murray held on and eventually broke his opponent’s serve in the ninth game before serving out for the win.

Murray will next face number four seed Daniil Medvedev, ranked 16 in the world, in the second round.

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis