Andy Murray confirmed that 2019 will be his last year on the ATP Tour during a pre-Australian Open press conference; he even inferred that Melbourne could also be the last event of his career.

I tried everything I could to get it right; it hasn’t worked. My plan is kind of middle to end of December in my training block, I spoke to my team and told them I can’t keep doing it. Andy Murray

Fighting back tears, he hoped to make his final public appearance during Wimbledon but that will depend on how his body holds up and by all accounts, he is still struggling to fight off the pain – pain which he even experiences when putting his socks and shoes on!

Murray is due to play the inform Roberto Bautista Agut in his first match at Aussie Open and his performance will be closely watched by all his fans who were hoping to see him make a successful return to the tour following his surgery last year.

“I’m going to play. I can still play to a level, not a level I’m happy playing at,” he declared. “The pain is too much really, it’s not something I want to continue playing that way.

“I tried everything I could to get it right; it hasn’t worked. My plan is kind of middle to end of December in my training block, I spoke to my team and told them I can’t keep doing it.

“I need to have an end point because I’m just playing with no idea of when the pain will stop. Making that decision, I think I can get through to Wimbledon, that’s when I’d like to stop playing. I’m also not certain I’m able to do that.”

Asked whether the Australian Open would be his final tournament, he replied: “There’s a chance of that, yeah, for sure. I’m not sure I’m able to play through the pain for another four or five months.”

Following his announcement Murray has been flooded with messages of goodwill from players who hail him for his fighting spirit and competitiveness and for being in general, a very nice bloke!