US Open absentee Andy Murray is debating a career-shaping decision on whether to undergo surgery on the dodgy hip which has kept him off court since an early Wimbledon loss two months ago. 
The former number one, displaced this month atop the ATP rankings by Rafael Nadal, is said to be weighing his medical options after training in pain onsite at the Open before finally pulling the plug on his participation last weekend. 
“I have never had to take any time off because of my hip before,” the Scot said. “Obviously I spoke to a number of specialists about the injury to get the best advice possible. 
“When you speak to a lot, there are different views and opinions on what the best thing to do is moving forward. That’s a decision I’ll need to take now.” 
Murray’s former coach Leon Smith, the British Davis Cup captain, believes that his long-time pupil can make a full recovery from any surgery if he chooses an operation over weeks of rest to try and cure the hip. The 30-year-old took nearly 12 months in 2013-2014 to come around from back surgery, but won his second Wimbledon title almost a year after that intervention. 
“Every injury has its complications and you can go and see a number of different specialists and you might get quite varying responses in terms of next steps, best steps,” Smith said. 
“He’s a very intelligent guy and it’s his career. I’m sure he’ll take on board all the pieces of advice he’s had and make a decision that’s best for him, but surgery is a difficult decision. “It is always (the option) you wait on to make sure you’ve got enough evidence that it’s going to make a positive difference.”