Tennis great Andy Murray is “cautiously optimistic” about returning to action this summer, according to his mum.
The double Olympic champion underwent a second hip surgery in January but he admitted last month he did not know if he could return to top-level tennis.
Murray, 31, has since returned to the practice court and could yet appear at Wimbledon in July.
Judy Murray said: “It is still early days and we will have to see what happens. He is cautiously optimistic about getting back on the match court perhaps at some point over the summer.”
Murray said before the Australian Open that he feared this was the end.
Andy Murray reveals fears over Wimbledon 2019 comeback despite hip op success
“There’s a chance of that, for sure,” he said when asked if the tournament could be his last.
“I am not sure I am able to play through the pain for another four or five months.
"I spoke to my team, and I told them, ‘I cannot keep doing this.’ I needed to have an end point because I was playing with no idea when the pain was going to stop.
"I felt like making that decision. I said to my team, ‘Look, I think I can get through this until Wimbledon. That’s where I would like to stop playing.’ But I am not certain I am able to do that.”
He added: “I have an option to have another operation, which is a little bit more severe than what I have had before.
Nick Kyrgios calls umpire 'a f***ing disgrace' and smashes racquet on court
He added: “I have an option to have another operation, which is a little bit more severe than what I have had before.
“Having my hip resurfaced will allow me to have a better quality of life, be out of pain. That is something I’m seriously considering right now.
"Some athletes have had that and gone back to competing. But there are obviously no guarantees with that, and it is not something…the reason for having an operation is not to return to professional sport, it’s just for a better quality of life.”
"I’ve been struggling for a long time. I have been in a lot of pain for probably about 20 months now. I have pretty much done everything that I could to try and get my hip feeling better.
"It hasn’t helped loads. I’m in a better place than I was six months ago, but still in a lot of pain. It has been tough."
Rafa Nadal avoided losing successive matches on clay for the first time when he fought back to beat Leonardo Mayer 6-7 6-4 6-2 at the Barcelona Open.
The world No.2 suffered a shock defeat to Fabio Fognini in the semi-finals at Monte Carlo.
