Murray on the sickbed.
Two weeks ago, Murray, who had injured his hip, lost to Spain's Agut in a four-hour battle at the Australian Open. And according to him, this may be the "last game" of his career.
Two weeks later, the Australian Open has come to an end, and Murray has ushered in an important moment in his life. On January 29, the three-time British Grand Slam winner announced on social media that he had undergone hip surface replacement surgery the day before.
So, will Murray live the life of an ordinary person after surgery, or will he return to professional tennis? He clearly wanted the latter, "Maybe we'll meet again, and I'll try everything possible to achieve it." ”
Murray's X-ray, he had a metal hip joint.
Hopefully, I can say goodbye to hip pain once and for all
Due to the impact of hip injuries, Murray has been unable to continue to compete in the tennis world. He cried bitterly at the press conference before the start of this year's Australian Open, telling the severe pain that his body could not get rid of for 20 months.
After the "round trip" of the Australian Open, the British had two options in front of them: one was to rest for four and a half months to prepare for his farewell performance, Wimbledon, and the other was to undergo a major operation, but this did not ensure that he would return to the game.
"Because some of the players have had this surgery, Bob Brian is back to play now. I'll make a decision in the coming week or so, but if I choose to have surgery and it doesn't work out well, then I may really have to say goodbye to the field. ”
Murray did his best at the Australian Open.
In the end, Murray chose to undergo surgery. He wrote on social media that he had undergone hip surface replacement surgery in London on January 28, "although it is still a little painful and bruised, I hope that this time it will make me say goodbye to hip pain once and for all." ”
After hip replacement surgery, the Briton looked in a good mood, and he posted his photos and post-operative X-rays on social media. In the photo, Murray is lying in a hospital bed, smiling at the camera.
"As you can see from the second picture, I now have a metal hip joint. In the first photo, I still look very courageous. Murray still maintains his "British humor."
Murray burst into tears at the press conference.
This is an uncommon sports injury in tennis
Murray's hip injury has been going on for many years. Since the semi-final with Wawrinka at the French Open in 2017, he began to feel pain in his right hip, and then Wimbledon was stopped in the quarter-finals due to injury.
After that, the former world number one faded from people's sight. He underwent his first hip surgery last January, when he confidently said, "My tennis career is not over, I have to play more high-level matches." ”
The surgery didn't make the former world number one's injury go away, but he still chose to return to the game, but the result was not so ideal. Throughout the 2018 season, Murray played only 12 games, with a record of 7 wins, 5 losses and 0 titles.
The results plummeted, and the hip injury also made Murray more and more painful. He once said that he had to endure great pain every day, and even putting on socks and walking his dog had become a very difficult thing, "It's all too difficult." ”
Professor Max Fisher, a plastic surgeon in the United Kingdom, analyzed in an interview with the BBC that the impact on Murray's hip joint can basically be concluded that there is a problem with the ball and socket joint.
"Repetitive and severe hip curvature can damage the cartilage at the joint fossa and lead to deformation at the ball and socket joints." Professor Fisher pointed out that this kind of sports injury is common in gymnastics, rugby and other sports, but it is not often found in tennis.
Dr. Fisher explained that hip surface replacement surgery involves flattening the ball at the ball-and-socket joint, covering it with a metal lid, and finally placing a layer of metal in the pelvic cavity where it is located.
Fans held up banners at the Australian Open: There was only one Andy Murray.
Murray's bet
Prior to this, U.S. doubles star Bob Bryan underwent the same surgery and has successfully returned to the game at this year's Australian Open. It was also under his influence that Murray decided to operate, and the two also had the same attending doctor.
"He stared at me like an eagle and kept asking me how I felt after the game and training." Brian said he hopes Murray will return to the field as soon as he does.
But an important fact is that doubles are completely different from singles. In Brian's view, in the high-intensity confrontation of the men's singles field, players need sufficient endurance and explosiveness, "who knows if this joint can hold up?"
Even in the eyes of many doctors, the possibility of Murray's re-matching has become increasingly slim.
Former Chelsea team doctor Ralph Rodgers told ESPN that he wasn't too optimistic about Murray's chances of playing at Wimbledon: "I would love to see him there, but if we don't build up strong physical qualities, we may not see him." ”
In Dr. Fisher's past experience, 90 to 95 percent of patients undergoing hip surgery can lead painless lives. These people can do some daily sports, such as skiing, swimming, cycling and golfing on weekends.
"But no one is going to do professional tennis." He analyzed that the metal parts inside these pelvic chambers will wear out after 10 to 15 years, and this kind of revision surgery will be more challenging and even have adverse consequences if the patient exercises regularly.
"If Murray returns to the tennis court, he will most likely be injured again. In the worst case, he may develop severe osteoarthritis as a result. ”
Undergoing surgery to continue his career, this stubborn Briton undoubtedly gambled everything. But more than in the future, we need a healthy Murray.