Murray: 'I would love the opportunity to play here one more time'
Andy Murray revealed in a press conference Sunday details of his recovery from recent back surgery and explained that he is still pushing to be ready to compete in one final Wimbledon.
“It’s been obviously a tough 10 days or so since Queen’s. Obviously had the operation on the back, which wasn’t insignificant. Just been trying to do everything that I can to try and get ready to start the tournament here,” Murray said. “I don’t know if that’s going to be enough. I’ve been practising for the past few days. I played a set today. It went pretty well, but I still don’t have 100 per cent sort of feeling and sensation in my leg yet.
“It’s getting better every single day. Like I said a few days ago, I want to give it every single chance that I can to get there.”
The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings explained that he will probably make a decision Monday evening regarding his participation in the tournament. The Scot added that there have been positive signs.
“I have no back pain, which is obviously really good. But the nature of the problem that I had was I had quite a large cyst, which was squashing, compressing my nerves, which then obviously lost not all, but a lot of control in my right leg,” Murray said. “That is getting better. But it’s kind of like if you sleep on your arm funny, you wake up and you’ve got a dead arm. It’s kind of like that feeling. But it goes on for a lot longer because the nerve has been kind of squashed and a little bit damaged for a number of days. How long that takes to regain its full sort of function again is impossible to say. For some people it takes months; for some people it’s weeks.”
According to Murray, who is scheduled to face Tomas Machac in the first round and play doubles with brother Jamie Murray, he has not been taking steps backwards by returning to practice.
“It’s been getting better every day,” Murray said. “I’m hopeful that that continues and it’s going to be enough to be on the court on Tuesday.”
Murray added: “Each day it becomes more and more likely that I’ll be able to play properly. Obviously with doubles, although you’re covering less distance and less court, you still need to be able to move pretty explosively.
“If I keep progressing like I have been for the next three, four days, before the doubles starts, then… I played a set today against a good player. Was playing well. Hitting the ball well. Did absolutely fine.”
[ATP APP]Murray hopes that with each day the likelihood he plays increases. He does not just want to compete, but play at a level he is happy with.
“I would love the opportunity to play here one more time,” Murray said. “That’s what I’m looking to get out of it. Whether afterwards I feel like that’s the right thing to do, it was the right thing to do or not, I don’t know. But right now I feel like I want that opportunity.”
The two-time Wimbledon champion hopes for “maybe a bit of closure” and to play once more on Centre Court and feel the “buzz” of that opportunity.
“Last year, I wasn’t planning on it being my last year on the Tour. I wanted to come back and play again,” Murray said. “Whereas this year I have no plans to do that. It’s coming to the end of my career and I want to have that opportunity to play here again.”
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