Andy Murray undergoes hip resurfacing surgery that could save or end his tennis career

Andy Murray has said that he is “a bit battered and bruised” after undergoing hip surgery that either reignite or end his professional tennis career.

After going out of the Australian Open in the first round after a five-set thriller against Roberto Bautista Agut, the 31-year-old has elected to undergo an operation on his injured right hip to “improve his quality of life” away from tennis, having been in constant every-day pain.

Complete with an X-ray showing the extent of the resurfacing operation, Murray confirmed he hopes the procedure will bring an end to the two years of pain that he has experienced, and it could yet also rejuvenate his tennis career – yet just as easily end it once and for all.

Announcing the news in an Instragram post, Murray said: “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 in.

“I now have a metal hip as you can see in the 2nd photo and I look like I've got a bit of a gut in photo 1.”

Murray spoke at length following his Australian Open exit earlier this month to details his future plans, in which he has not committed to any future tournaments nor announced his retirement.

The Scot explained that his initial hope for 2019 was to play in Melbourne in the first Grand Slam of the year and then try to battle through the pain to reach Wimbledon in June, where he would then be prepared to call it a day.

But while this operation almost certainly rules him out of featuring at SW19 for a second consecutive year, it does at least offer a glimmer of hope that he could make a full recovery and mount a comeback attempt in the future.

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Speaking before he left Melbourne two weeks ago, Murray explained how much the operation could affect his future.

“The first option (surgery) makes my life a lot more comfortable and enjoyable, but potentially means I never play again and also miss Wimbledon,” he said. “That’s what I need to decide.”

In what appeared to be the start of an emotional farewell, Murray was on his way to the earliest of exits against Bautista Agut, losing the first two sets in their Australian Open first-round encounter. But the three-time Grand Slam champion rallied to level the match in front of a partisan crowd at two-sets apiece, only to lose the decider to confirm his exit. But it was the performance that appeared to convince Murray that he still has what it takes to compete at the top, given that the Spaniard entered the tournament as the 22nd seed and went on to reach the quarter-finals.

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“I don’t know, maybe I'll see you again,” he said on-court after watching an emotional tribute from his fellow professionals on the big screen. “I'll do everything possible to try if I want to go again. I'll need to have a big operation which there’s no guarantee I’ll come back from anyway, but I'll give it my best shot. Thank you.”

The operation is the second time Murray has gone under the knife on his troublesome hip, although the resurfacing is much more serious than his initial surgery and could spell the end of his career. Murray has spoken at length with Bob Bryan, the 23-time Grand Slam doubles champion, who has returned from a similar operation last summer.

He now faces a long and gruelling rehabilitation programme to see whether he can return to the sport, before a decision can be made on whether he attempts to make a comeback on the court or not.