[ad_1]
Andy Murray has been tipped “to be great” Wimbledon this summer by the double great Bob Bryan, who underwent hip surgery the same as Scotland.
When Murray was considering whether to have resurfacing surgery four years ago, his main reference was American Bryan, who had undergone the same surgery last year.
This gives Bryan an extra year and a bit on the court, with the 23-time Grand Slam champion finally retiring in 2020 at the age of 42.
Bryan said of the surgery: “It’s really the only option. And I’m the last resort. I’m the little Andy too. Do you have to lose at this stage? You’re pretty much written off. .
“For me, it just gave me a new goal and something to do. For Andy, he did it on the singles court, which is a different situation.
“For a single, I don’t know, that until you blaze a trail there. And he’s blazing it’s amazing.”
Bryan downplayed his influence on Murray’s surgery, saying: “He knows better than I do. I didn’t watch any YouTube videos before I went in. I just said, ‘Just cut it and let’s go.’
“He knows every little part of the procedure and he’s talked to every athlete who’s had it before.”
It’s a forensic approach Murray has applied to his entire career and, four years after his surgery, he’s seen a strong season.
He has the best team in the world of guys behind him and he works hard and does his research and nobody is smarter than him. I think you’re going to see some good years from him coming up.
Bryan, who played in the legendary Australian Open event, was among those caught up in Murray’s incredible week of drama at Melbourne Park, with the 35-year-old spending 10-and-a-half hours on court to beat Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi. Kokkinakis previously fell just short to Roberto Bautista Agut.
“That’s the story of the week, in my opinion,” Bryan said. “Four or five years ago, as he wrote on Instagram, he was told he would never play professional tennis again.
“Now he played the most physical game this week and backed it up with a fantastic recovery.
“I talked to him [Murray’s coach] Ivan Lendl, I said, ‘How hip?’ He was like, ‘No problem’. And what I felt: surgical hip, no problem.
“The biggest thing is finding a balance because you have a new hip and you have an old hip and how your body works and how your lower back feels. I think it was an adjustment for him at first but he thought it out.
“He has the best team in the world of guys behind him and he works hard and does his research and nobody is smarter than him.
Murray is a two-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion
Despite the disappointment of losing in the third round, Murray left Melbourne feeling positive about his game and his fitness.
No doubt performing strongly at Wimbledon, where his favorite surface is, will be the main goal of Murray’s season.
Bryan added: “He’s played a very physical career, he doesn’t have the biggest weapons out there and he’s been running a lot, like [Rafael] Nadal is done.
“I think he’s going to have a good Wimbledon. He knows how to play on grass and I think the venue really wants to do some damage.”
[ad_2]
Source link