Andy Murray, 30, is currently ranked third in the world, but his numbers are expected to drop quite low, especially toward the end of this season. Stranded outside the ATP circuit due to a lingering hip injury, the former world No. 1 saw how quickly his status has degraded. He won't be in the fighting pit earlier than January of next year, which means that his official rank will go down in a dangerous spiral. Odds aren't working in his favor and he might step outside the top 10 for the first time in years. That would impact his first bids of 2018 too, as it is common knowledge how a low-rank status can hamper the efforts to climb up the ladder.
It's all about those potential tough draws and hellish paths a player must go through in order to improve his numbers.
Doubt and questions are part of any comeback story
Some may think that dissecting Andy Murray's comeback might be rude or inappropriate but that's how things work. A high-profile Tennis star like Andy Murray should expect to have some deeper scrutiny about his future, and more importantly, if he will remain relevant.
There is another aspect from which questions may stream up to the surface. Once a player decides to take an extended break, they are no longer in the spotlight. There is always the psychological part of the story. Any successful Comeback Story has several key elements attached to it; physical training, some new or at least improved skills, the desire, and a motivational trigger.
Most players are using a long break to pursue new approaches. Whether it's about a new fitness strategy, a new methodology to apply a certain skill set, or something within this field, those months spent away from the court is the only scenario when these adjustments may have a chance to be implemented.
Judging by how busy the schedule is, the offseason break is not long enough to test all the above.
Andy Murray is likely to remain relevant for the years to come
Andy Murray is one of those unique players who had to compensate the lack of special skills with sweat and pain. There used to be a glass ceiling regarding how deep he could dig, but in 2016, and especially in those last two months of last season, he looked as a pure world No.
1.
Andy and his wife Kim are expecting their second child and that may have an impact too. In the past, Murray stated that family will always come first. Still, his retirement seems like a harmful thought, at least for now.
