• Australian Open

Murray unsure of Australian Open appearance

ESPN staff
October 18, 2013
Murray received an OBE on Thursday

Andy Murray does not know whether he will be fit enough to compete at the Australian Open in January as he continues to recover from back surgery.

Murray underwent an operation on his lower back in September in order to solve a troublesome disc problem, and recently withdrew from the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals at London's O2 Arena to continue his rehabilitation.

The British No. 1 received an OBE from Prince William on Thursday, but revealed he was still weeks away from returning to practice on a tennis court.

"I hope so, but I'm not going to come back unless I'm 100% fit. I've got a long way to go yet," Murray told BBC Sport.

"I've been in the swimming pool and on the bike a little bit but it's still going to be four or five weeks until I'm back on the tennis court hitting some balls.

"The rehab process is pretty tedious and long and I don't want to come back too soon and have to start that process all over again. I'll only come back when I'm 100% fit and I hope that's at the beginning of the year."

Murray did not feature at the French Open in May because of his back problem, but returned to become Britain's first male Wimbledon champion since 1936 in the summer.

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