Tennis superstar Andy Murray will reportedly reduce his workload to prolong his career. Murray, 30, has been healing a hip injury since Wimbledon. The Scot limped during his Wimbledon quarter-final loss suffered to American Sam Querrey. World No. 16 Murray hoped to get back on the court before the season finishes. Yet, he didn't do so as he decided to take a cautious approach and call it a season.
Murray made his first appearance in months at last week's Andy Murray Live. The 30-year-old played against second-ranked Roger Federer in a charity match.
Federer, a 19-time Grand Slam champion, escaped with a three-set win. The exhibition, hosted by Murray, was held in Glasgow at the SSE Hydro Arena. The Scot has yet to fully heal his injury as he clearly wasn't at 100 percent during the match.
Murray remains hopeful he will be ready for the beginning of the 2018 season. The 30-year-old has been announced for the Brisbane International. The Brisbane event is due to kick off on 30 December. The world No. 16 still has a month and a half to get healthy and ready to play in Brisbane. Murray's presence in Brisbane has been certainly put in doubt as he is not guaranteed to have his injury healed in time for Brisbane.
"Andy has always been a great problem-solver and thinker," a source close to world No.
16 Murray said, according to The Guardian. "He will know exactly how hard to push himself. The problem is simple wear and tear over a long time. So, he will not be able to play as often."
Murray paid the price
Murray played 11 ATP events this season. The 30-year-old's last tournament of the season -- Wimbledon -- was held in July.
The world No. 16 was on pace to play 20 or close to 20 tournaments this season. Murray's only title of the season was achieved in February in Doha. The Scot started the year ranked at No. 1 in the world before he slumped to No. 16.
Murray was coming off a mentally and physically draining season. The world No. 16 played 17 tournaments -- including the Rio Olympics -- last year.
He ended champion at nine tournaments and finished runner-up at four events. The Scot's 2016 campaign includes second Wimbledon and Olympics title -- maiden ATP Finals tournament title -- and a career-high ranking of No. 1. Murray's enormous 2016 efforts took its toll on his 2017 campaign.
Murray wants more success
Murray is not done yet as he still wants to achieve more success. The world No. 16 has captured three Grand Slam titles so far in his career. Former Wimbledon and US Open champion Murray would certainly love to make it all the way at the Australian and French Open and complete a Career Grand Slam. Lightening his schedule seems to be a logical choice for Murray. The 30-year-old needs to be healthy if he wants to add more success to his name going forward.
