Andy Murray will not compete in this month's Australian Open.
The tennis superstar said Thursday his lingering hip injury is preventing him from competing. He issued a brief statement that was posted on the Australian Open's Twitter account.
Murray: “Sadly I won’t be playing in Melbourne this year, as I am not yet ready to compete. I’ll be flying home shortly to assess all the options.”
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 4, 2018
Good luck for the rest of ‘18, @andy_murray, you’ll be missed! https://t.co/yzRIypFXM7
The news is not a shock: Murray on Tuesday withdrew from a tuneup tournament in Brisbane and said surgery on the hip was an option. He has not played competitively since July at Wimbledon.
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Murray is a five-time men's singles finalist in Australia, but he has never won the event.
The 2018 Australian Open will begin Jan. 15 in Melbourne.