Wednesday 10 July 2019 13:38, UK
Andy Murray has ruled himself out of returning to singles action at next month's US Open.
The Scot had originally aimed for Flushing Meadows and the preceding hard court events but has since altered his opinion as he continues his comeback from "life-changing" hip surgery.
"It's pretty unlikely, just in terms of timings," he said. "I spoke to my team about that and there is still a lot of stuff I need to get done physically and get myself stronger
"The amount of work that I need to do on the court to get ready for singles, and the amount I need to put in off the court to get myself strong enough and ready to play best-of-five sets, it's still quite a way away unfortunately.
You guys want a timeframe but I can't give you an exact one because I don't know how long it's going to take for me to physically get to that level.
"I would love to play but I need to look like pretty long-term at this. I don't want to be having to go through another big operation in a few years' time.
"I want to make sure the operation I've had lasts for as long as possible and to give it the best chance I need to make sure I am physically really strong before I get back on the singles court."
Murray and Serena Williams' partnership continued to blossom on Wimbledon Centre Court as they won their second-round mixed-doubles match on Tuesday.
But while Murray sees no reason why he cannot return to the top of men's tennis, he admits his return to singles action could take longer than initially expected.
"You guys want a timeframe but I can't give you an exact one because I don't know how long it's going to take for me to physically get to that level," he said.
"I know some people might like it to have taken five or six months but it's going to take more time than that unfortunately.
"Whether that's nine, 12 or 18 months, I don't know. I'll do my best to make it as soon as I can. I can't give an exact timeframe on this. It's tough."
