Andy Murray is facing a real fight to be fit for Wimbledon in what looks like his final year as a professional tennis player.
The two-time winner of the event has endured some torrid luck with injuries this season – and this one feels like the cruellest of the lot.
Murray, who has a metal hip after years of toil, had to forfeit from his match with Jordan Thompson at Queen’s last week.
He required surgery on a spinal cyst and it was feared that Wimbledon was off the table for Murray.
However, his mum Judy Murray, took to X to speak of her disgust at that false information being released – claiming no decision had been made yet.
Now, a leading specialist in spinal surgery has cited Tiger Woods as a sportsman that Murray could look towards for optimism here.
Spinal specialist shares how Andy Murray could look towards Tiger Woods for injury hope
It does seem like an unusual injury and it’s very rare you hear of a sports person having a spinal cyst.
However, here we are with Murray and he’s not the first person to have an operation of a back problem – which does offer hope.
Woods has struggled with his back throughout his career but he bounced back to enjoy some success towards the end of his career.
Now, spinal specialist Wai Yoon has discussed Murray’s injury in more detail.
He told I: “Unless they’ve just stuck a needle in and it’s not an operate, and they’ve sucked fluid out enabling him to get by, he’s not likely to be fit for Wimbledon.
“I suspect what he’s probably had is something like a small decompression to take the sac of a cyst out, because that will still enable him to preserve the joint so he can still play again and they’ll do a limited, maybe even endoscopic, decompression just to take that cyst out.
“Some athletes do have a lot of injections to keep them going.
“There are some patients that we have fused and they come back and play professional sport. So you definitely can.
“Tiger Woods has come back even after fusion surgery so it’s not definitely no, but you’ve got to wonder what is going on after for Murray.”
Missing Wimbledon would devastate Murray
This would be a really awful blow for Murray and for the Great British public who have largely backed him for a number of years.
Murray will go down as one of Great Britain’s greatest sports people of all time when he retires, with three major titles to his name.
Given what he’s achieved at the tournament, Murray deserves one final crack at Wimbledon.
We’re not entirely sure, however, that using Woods as guidance is a huge help for Murray who plays a sport that is far more physically demanding on the body.
Still, no news is good news and hopefully Murray can confirm his place in the draw before it takes place at Wimbledon on Friday morning.
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