A tearful Andy Murray says the Australian Open could be his last tournament due to a hip injury that has hampered him for almost two years.
The three-time Grand Slam champion says he plans to start his opening match against number 22-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open, where he has reached the final five times but never won the title.
However, he says he can no longer play at the elite level because of the pain, and is considering another operation on his hip.
Murray held a news conference Friday at Melbourne Park, and had to leave the room for a while soon after it started to compose himself as he fronted the media.
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Andrew Murray in action during the Boys Singles at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in London in 2002. Getty Images -
Murray won the US Open Boys' Singles Championships 2004 in New York. Getty Images -
Murray beat Tim Henman at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors on October 26, 2005 in Basel, Switzerland. Getty Images -
Murray won his first ATP tile after defeating Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the SAP Open on February 19, 2006 in San Jose, California. Getty Images -
Murray becomes the first British singles champion in over 100 years after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Getty Images -
Murray won the US Open, his first Grand Slam title, in New York on September 10, 2012. AFP -
Murray celebrates winning the Wimbledon final on July 7, 2013 in Wimbledon, England. Reuters -
Murray celebrates his victory over France's Gael Monfils at the end of their French tennis Open quarter final match in Paris on June 4, 2014. AFP -
Murray celebrates with the trophy after winning the Davis Cup at Flanders Expo, Ghent, Belgium in 2015. Action Images via Reuters -
Murray celebrates his win over Milos Raonic of Canada in the men's singles final of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain. EPA -
Murray of Britain with 2016 Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters -
Murray celebrates with the ATP World Tour Finals trophy at O2 Arena, London in 2016. Reuters -
Murray poses with the trophy after winning the Men's finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in 2017. Satish Kumar / The National -
Murray steps off the court after defeating Marius Copil during the Citi Open tennis tournament in Washington in 2018. AP Photo
He told the gathered reporters he hopes to make it to Wimbledon, but conceded the Australian Open could be his last event.
"I can play with limitations. But having the limitations and the pain is not allowing me to enjoy competing or training," he said in Melbourne.
"Wimbledon is where I would like to stop playing, but I am not certain I am able to do that. I think there is a chance the Australian Open is my last tournament."
The Australian Open starts on Monday.
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