And Murray rules out return to singles action at US Open

Andy Murray has ruled out playing singles at the US Open, saying it could take up to 18 months before he felt ready.

Andy Murray and Serena Williams celebrate in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. Picture: Getty Images

Andy Murray has ruled out playing singles at the US Open, indicating it could take up to 18 months before he felt ready to return.

The 32-year-old Scot had hinted that his successful hip surgery, as well as a promising foray into doubles over the last two weeks, could pave the way for a dramatic appearance at the season’s concluding grand slam starting next month.

However, despite reaching the mixed doubles third round with Serena Williams, the former world No 1 said he would not return for singles in New York, where he won his first slam in 2012.

“I think it’s pretty unlikely just in terms of timing. Just a lot of stuff I need to get done physically, to get myself stronger,” said Murray whose ranking has slumped to 227 in the world.

“The amount of work I need to do on the court to get ready for singles, the amount of work I need to put in off the court to get myself strong enough to play best-of-five sets, it’s still quite a ways away unfortunately.”

Murray’s most recent singles match was at the Australian Open in January, where he was defeated in five sets in the first round by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.

The three-time major winner even admitted in Melbourne that his career could be over such was the pain from his hip.

“I know some people might like it to have taken five months or six months, but it’s going to take more time than that, unfortunately,” he added.

“Whether that’s nine months or 12 months or 18 months, I don’t know. I’ll do my best to make it as soon as I can. I can’t give an exact time frame on this. It’s tough.”

On Tuesday night (AEDT), Murray and Williams made the third round of the mixed doubles at Wimbledon with a 7-5 6-3 win over Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo.

Murray also played men’s doubles at Wimbledon with Pierre-Hugues Herbert with the duo reaching the second round.

Meanwhile, a day after her memorable Wimbledon ended, Coco Gauff already was thinking about coming back.

“Obviously, there’s always room for improvement,” Gauff said in an interview at the All England Club.

“I’m going to go and practice and improve some things,” the 15-year-old Floridian added, raising her eyebrows and smiling her infectious smile, “so that next time, I can win the tournament.”

Gauff made quite an impression over the past two weeks at the grass-court grand slam tournament, accumulating a series of milestones — and a legion of fans around the globe.

“To say the least, a star has been born,” All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis said. “It’s good for the sport. It’s good for the event.”

First, Gauff became the youngest player to qualify at Wimbledon in the professional era. Then she made her main-draw debut at any major tournament with a victory over five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, who is 39. And then she became the youngest player to reach the second week at the All England Club since 1991.

What stands out the most to her from it all?

“The most important point for me is just the match point after beating Venus. That was a moment that I will never forget,” Gauff said. “Watching the video, it seemed like it all happened quickly. But during it, I felt like I was on the court for like 20 minutes, when I dropped the racquet and everything.”

She was ranked 313th when Wimbledon began and, by getting to the fourth round before losing to former No 1 Simona Halep on Monday, is projected to jump into the top 150 next week.

Agencies