It was only a year and a half ago that Andy Murray said he would be retiring from tennis due to his injury. He underwent hip surgery in January 2018 but was in so much pain in the ensuing months that he did not think he could carry on with his career. The 33-year-old decided to undergo a second hip procedure last year that helped him feel better and allowed him to return to professional tennis.
Now, Murray says he has as much power in his serve as he did when he was in his 20s.
“For the two years before I had the operation I couldn’t extend my leg properly, so my right leg would always bend when I went to extend it and that was affecting my serve a lot. I had to change my ball toss and was not able to drive up properly,” Murray said in an interview for the “Andy Murray’s Greatest Hits” program on BBC One.
“But now, because it does extend properly, I am able to serve well again and am able to serve as hard as I was in my mid-20s, which given I didn’t know I was going to be able to play again has been really positive.”
Murray did not play in any majors last year after his hip surgery, but he did play some tournaments and even won the European Open, defeating Stan Wawrinka. Murray is planning to play in the Washington Open when the ATP Tour resumes next month. With his serve back up to his previous standard, some parts of his game may be close to what it was when the three-time major winner was among the top players in the world.
