Andy Murray announced on Thursday that he will retire from tennis this year, saying he hopes to make it to Wimbledon but that the Australian Open could be his last tournament.
Speaking in Melbourne at a tearful press conference, Murray suggested the pain from his chronic hip injury hasn’t improved. He told reporters that he will still try to play in this year’s Australian Open, which begins on Sunday.
The 31-year-old underwent hip surgery before last year’s Australian Open and struggled to rehabilitate, forcing him to withdraw from Wimbledon. Murray made a return at the US Open but lost to Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the second round.
“Wimbledon is where I would like to stop playing but I am not certain I am able to do that,” Murray told reporters. “I’m not sure I can play through the pain for another four or five months.”
At one point in the press conference, Murray left the room to regain his composure. The three-time grand slam champion said that “putting shoes and socks on” is painful.
Murray will face Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Australian Open.
Murray earned his first grand slam championship at the 2012 US Open and won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016. His 2013 victory at the All-England Club marked the first time a British man had won there in 77 years.
But Murray has long struggled with injuries — including problems with his knees, back and ankles — that have plagued his career. He was born with a bivariate patella, a condition where kneecaps remain separated rather than fusing.
Murray was ranked world No. 1 as recently as August 2017.