Andy Murray, former world no.1 reached the summit of men’s professional tennis and won the third of his three Grand Slam titles in 2016. He has had one of the most successful careers in the men’s game. He has won many accolades in the sport that make him an extraordinary player. However, he spent the subsequent two years battling a hip injury that almost ended his career.
From the 2018 season onwards, Murray has been out of action consistently. He underwent hip resurfacing surgery at the start of 2019. Then began the difficult journey to rediscover the form and fitness that made him the best player in the world. The trek has been fraught with setbacks, including the coronavirus-enforced shutdown of the tennis season in 2020 and additional injuries.
Murray On His Future
Andy Murray has said that the next season will be pivotal in deciding his future as a professional tennis player. He also said that he will leave “no stone unturned” in his attempt to return to the top of the sport.
There has been some encouraging signs for Andy towards the back end of last season with only two victories over top-10 opponents. He had pushed then the world No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets at the US Open. Although he lost the match, there were many positives for him to take back from that performance.
Andy Murray is in Abu Dhabi for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and is working with new coach Jan De Witt on a trial basis. “The positives from 2021 were that I played a lot of long matches and tournaments back-to-back. So in terms of the robustness of my body, that’s in a way better place than what it was in 2019 and 2020,” Murray said at the media day for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
Speaking about his retirement plans, he said, “This season is an important year for me. I don’t know how many seasons I have left but if I had another season like I did this year, that’s not what I want and not the level I want to be playing at, so it’s up to me to perform on the court and see if I can still do it.”
Andy Murray and His New Coach
Andy has recently parted ways with Jamie Delgado who was his coach since 2016. The former world No.1 is now working with Jan De Witt on a trial basis. Delgado is now heading up the team of Denis Shapovalov, the Canadian world No.14 who is also competing at Mubadala World Tennis Championship. this week.
.@Andy_Murray has arrived #InAbuDhabi ????#MWTC #MakeWayForTheBest pic.twitter.com/qJfQpFQAga
— Mubadala World Tennis Championship (@MubadalaWTC) December 13, 2021
When the three-time Major champion began struggling with a hip injury in 2017 and ended his season after Wimbledon, Delgado took on a full-time coaching role with the departure of Ivan Lendl from Murray’s team. Delgado stuck with Murray even during his two hip operations which left him barely able to compete for several years. The 34-year-old was able to make a successful return following a hip resurfacing surgery in 2019. Made his comeback by winning his first tournament back in the doubles at Queens Club alongside Feliciano Lopez. He did this by beating fellow three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka.
Considering the important juncture at which Murray finds himself in his career he is taking careful consideration over who will be his next full-time coach which is why the pair is initially working together as a trial.
Andy Murray has split with long-time coach Jamie Delgado as Dutchman Jan De Witt joins his team ????
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 10, 2021
“I feel like this decision is quite an important one for me because I don’t know how much time I have left, so I want to make sure the person who is with me for the last period of my career is the right one,” he said. “That’s why I’m going about it this way.”
Every tennis fan is looking forward to see the Scottish tennis star make a great comeback on the court.