Andy Murray retirement: Will Andy Murray play at Wimbledon this year?

Andy Murray is on the verge of retirement following a tearful press conference ahead of the Australian Open.

The British icon has soldiered on through major hip problems for almost two years and has confirmed that the end of his career is approaching.

Murray missed the majority of 2018 following surgery last January but admitted he is still playing through the pain and won’t be able to last much longer.

He said: “I’ve been struggling for a long time, I’ve been in a lot of pain for what’s been probably about 20 months now.

“I’ve tried everything I could to get my hip to feel better, and it hasn’t helped, I’m in a better place than I was six months ago, but still in a lot of pain. It’s been tough.

“I’m going to play, I can still play to a level, but not a level I’m happy playing at. It’s not just that, but the pain is too much really.

“I don’t want to continue playing that way. I think I’ve tried pretty much everything that I could to get it right, and that hasn’t worked.

“So my plan in the middle to the end of December I spoke to my team and told them that I can’t keep doing this. I needed to have an end point.”

Murray explained that it isn’t just on-court performances that are becoming too much for him to handle, his everyday life is being affected.

“You guys see me walking or running around on a tennis court and it doesn’t look comfortable, but there’s little things day-to-day that are also a struggle,” he said.

“It would be nice to be able to do them without any pain, putting shoes on, socks on, things like that.

“That’s the main reason for doing it, it’s something that if I would have an operation like that I would have rehab I would do it properly to give my hip the best chance of recovering.”

Murray confirmed he play his Australian Open first round match against Roberto Bautista Agut – but will he reach Wimbledon 2019?

Will Andy Murray play at Wimbledon 2019?

Murray stated he is hoping to enjoy a final swansong at the All England Club in July but couldn’t guarantee his hip would allow him to compete that long.

He said: “I said I think I can get through to Wimbledon, that’s when I would like to stop playing. I am also not certain I’m able to do that.

“Like I said, I’m not sure I’m able to play through the pain for another four to five months.

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

“That’s something that I am seriously considering right now. Some athletes have had that and gone back to competing, but there’s obviously no guarantees. The reason is not to return to professional sport, it’s just to have a better quality of life.

When asked whether the Australian Open would be his final tournament, he said: “I think there’s a chance of that, for sure.”

Andy Murray net worth – how much has he earned?

The Scottish sensation has earned around £48million in prize money since turning pro in 2005.

He has been sponsored by Fred Perry, Adidas and Under Armour throughout his career after signing multi-million pound deals.

Murray has also featured in Head racket adverts and has endorsed Royal Bank of Scotland and Highland Spring.

Overall, Murray’s total estimated net worth comes in at around £80m according to Celebrity Net Worth figures.

source: express.co.uk