Andy Murray has announced that he has undergone surgery in a bid to resolve his long-standing hip problem.
The former world number one has not played competitively since Wimbledon, and after an attempted comeback was halted after one exhibition match the 30-year-old was left to consider his options.
Murray had previously suggested that he would only consider an operation on the area as a last resort, but the Scot has now revealed that he is optimistic that he can make a return to professional tennis, potentially during the grass-court campaign.
The three-time Major winner is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "I'm not finished playing tennis yet. I'm going to be competing at the highest level again. I'm very optimistic about the future - the surgeon is very happy about how it went.
"My plan is to be back playing around the grass-court season - potentially before then - but I'm certainly not going to rush anything. I want to know when I come back that I'm ready."
Murray will miss both the Australian Open and the French Open, as well as Masters Series events in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
Darren Plant
