John McEnroe expects Andy Murray to battle past his hip problem and play at Wimbledon this year but has warned the Briton that he faces a tough test against hard-hitting opponents.
Former world number one Murray has not played a competitive match since losing in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last July and is on the mend after undergoing hip surgery in January.
The 31-year-old withdrew from this monthโs Rosmalen grasscourt tournament and could also skip the Queenโs Club competition as he aims to return for the third grand slam event of the year, which kicks off on July 2.
โHeโs gonna play because he loves to play,โ McEnroe told British media. โBut Iโm sure he would be realistic about what he could do if he did play. It would be tough to go a long way if he hasnโt played.
โI had some hip issuesโฆ Itโs not a good feeling, particularly when guys are hitting it harder than ever โ even when I was playingโฆ If you are not feeling quite right, it can be tough.โ
Seven-times grand slam winner McEnroe says Murray will keep fighting to reclaim his position in the sport even if the three-times major champion risks โsemi-humiliationโ.
โYou keep giving yourself reasons as to why itโs worth it, the upside. You know, itโs worth taking semi-humiliation. Youโre still out there doing something you love, in a way. Youโre not as good as you were,โ the American said.
โIโm not even saying he wonโt be (as good as he was). I donโt know what will happen, but it will be pretty tough to come back and be better than he wasโฆโ
McEnroe, 59, compared Murray to Swiss ace Roger Federer and Serbian Novak Djokovic to highlight his point that some top players fully recover from serious injuries while others struggle.
โEveryoneโs different. You go from the extreme of Roger (Federer) being able to pull it off toโฆ Novak (Djokovic), who doesnโt seem like himself yet and thatโs been the better part of almost a couple of years now,โ McEnroe said.
โThere is no way to knowโฆ Itโs a year. Thatโs a long time.โ
