A respected hip surgeon says Andy Murray’s determined nature could actually be a hindrance as he attempts to continue his tennis comeback.
The British star’s career looked to be over as he finally succumbed to the pain in his right hip earlier this year.
Murray withdrew from the Australian Open before undergoing a hip resurfacing procedure that many medical experts describe as a “last resort”.
“It’s slightly controversial, who should be having a resurfacing and whether it’s a better thing or not,” Adam Hoad-Reddick, a hip surgeon at the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle, Manchester, told Betway.
“Fit young men who want to get back to impact activity are one sub-group of patients who probably benefit from hip resurfacing, but that’s balanced with the risk of metal wear leading to raised metal ion levels.”
The surgery involves the implantation of a metal cap onto the ball of the hip joint and a metal socket into the ‘cup’ of the hip joint.
Research has shown raised that high blood metal ion levels caused by the procedure can result in osteolysis, the destruction of tissues around the joint.
Despite the risks, Murray has already returned to tennis, partnering Feliciano Lopez to win the men’s doubles at the Queen’s Club Championships.
However, Hoad-Reddick has questioned whether Murray’s decision to come back so quickly is a sensible one.
“It’s incredibly important, in terms of willingness to return, to be determined and strong mentally,” he added.
“But it could be a negative. Will he ignore niggles and pain that he should be listening to more? If you push on and push on, you may end up in a chronic situation where you fail to fully recover.
“I wonder why he’s chosen to come back at four-and-a-half months, rather than say: ‘I’m not going to play at all this season, I’m going to try and fully recover and come back as a doubles player next year’.”
While Hoad-Reddick is skeptical about Murray’s return to the court after being so close to retirement, the former world number one appears confident that he can step up his comeback at Wimbledon.
The former world number one will partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the men’s doubles and has hinted that he may team up with Serena Williams in the mixed doubles.
Having expressed concern at the speed of Murray’s return to action, Hoad-Reddick concedes that sticking to doubles competition is a sensible move.
“It’s probably not the playing that’s the problem,” he said. “It’s the hundreds of hours on court and in the gym to maintain his fitness and keep his level up.
“The physical exertion and cost to his own body will be less if he’s training to do doubles rather than singles. You don’t need the same level of fitness.”