Andy Murray risks never playing another competitive match as he weighs up whether to have further surgery on his hip.
On Friday, the Brit announced plans to step away from the sport in 2019 after failing to overcome a chronic hip problem which has troubled him for nearly two years.
Murray produced a gutsy performance as he battled back from two sets down to square his first-round meeting with Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday, but the decisive set proved a step too far for the 31-year-old.
Afterwards he said fans could have seen the last of him as a competitive tennis player, but refused to rule out a shock solution that could yet prolong his career.
Spelling out his options, Murray said only one pathway would guarantee him the opportunity to compete at Wimbledon one final time, though a successful hip resurfacing operation could keep him in the game.
“I have two options,” Murray said. “One is to take the next four-and-a-half months off, then build up and play Wimbledon. [The other is] a really big operation. There's no guarantees that you can come back from that.
“But there is the possibility, because guys have done it before. Bob Bryan is doing it just now. Some other athletes have given it a go.
“I'll probably decide in the next week or so. But this might be my last match. If I go ahead with the operation, and I don't recover well from it, then I don't play again. It will improve my quality of life. I'll be in less pain doing normal things like walking around and putting your shoes and socks on."
Murray will decide whether to go under the knife in the next week. Should he postpone the move until after Wimbledon, it will confirm this summer's Championships at SW19 as the tennis star's last tournament.
If he has surgery sooner, we could have seen the last of him already.
