Leading surgeon encourages Andy Murray to consider hip procedure
Dr Edwin Su, a leading expert in hip surgery, believes that hip resurfacing surgery can help former world number one Andy Murray back to the top level of tennis, Sky Sports report.
Murray, 31, recently crashed out of the Australian Open, losing a five-set thriller to Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, and the three-time Grand Slam champion is now considering whether or not to have the operation.
American doubles specialist Bob Bryan, who is also competing at the Australian Open, has worked with surgeon Su before and has recently recommended him to Murray.
And Su, talking to the Mail on Sunday, revealed that most of his patients have woken from the surgery without any pain.
I think I would absolutely be able to help him. Ideally, it is with no pain. Most of the time, right away from the time they wake up from the surgery, patients say that the pain is gone.
It is really miraculous. There is then healing and soft-tissue pain but, once they start feeling better, they are able to do the things they used to do. They can regain their normal life.
Su then added that hip resurfacing surgery could help Murray return to the top level, claiming some of his patients have completed numerous marathons due to the procedure.
I believe it could get him back to the top level. It does raise the question of whether or not that level of activity would affect the implant’s longevity. In our experience, it doesn’t seem to. Some of my patients have done ultra-marathons with 15,000 miles on the new hip.
The expert then revealed that he believes Murray could even be back in time for Wimbledon if he had the surgery soon but offered no guarantee.
It’s uncharted territory. No one has done it and returned in singles tennis and it would require more endurance in the muscle to cover the court but, based on the previous operations of sportsmen in basketball and hockey, who also have to move quickly, I think he could do it.
Murray will need to make a decision soon if he wants to undergo the surgery, which could see him compete at the All England Club in the summer and beyond.