Andy Murray: 'I'm not finished playing tennis yet'

Andy Murray is "really positive" following hip surgery in Melbourne, saying he's aiming to return to the top of the game.

Murray's hip surgery was performed by Australian hip surgeon John O’Donnell, who Murray said he has consulted for many years about his lingering hip problems.

The 30-year-old described himself as confident of making a full recovery, and suggested he could be back on tour in a few months.

"Having spoken to the surgeon, he was very happy," Murray was quoted as saying. "He felt that my hip will be feeling better than it did a year ago and, obviously, I was still doing fine a year ago, I was ranked No. 1 in the world.

"I was nervous this morning but it was the right decision to make. I've been in pain walking since before Wimbledon."

But he was also cautious about establishing a timetable for his return, having had false starts at Brisbane and the US Open.

"I've been quoted times for how long it's taken for players to get back from the surgery I've had, and I've been given up to 14 weeks," he said. "I'm not going to put a date on it. I want to come back when I'm fit and ready to play.

"My plan is to be back playing around the grass-court season—potentially before then, but I'm certainly not going to rush anything."

But Murray, who said he had also had a minor groin surgery a few weeks ago, wants to be a top player again, though he will play fewer events.

"I'm not finished playing tennis yet. The rest of my body feels fantastic. I feel really good physically now apart from this one issue. I think I'm going to be back on the court competing at the highest level again," he said. "Moving forward I'll certainly be playing a reduced schedule, and then focusing more on trying to win major events and big tournaments rather than trying to achieve certain ranking goals.

Murray added that he had spoken to his wife, Kim Sears, about playing till their almost two-year-old daughter, Sophia, can watch him on tour.

"'That's one of the things that's motivated me to keep playing. That would be cool if she can come along and watch me hit some balls or practice just to see what it is I do," said Murray, who became a father for the second time around two months ago when Sears had their second daughter.

"I like seeing a lot of the other kids when they are on tour with their parents, who get to do a bit of travelling with them when they're at an age when they actually understand a bit more about what it is that they're doing."

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