Andy Murray would do pretty much anything to be back fit and on court – including giving back his time spent as world No.1.
But the double Wimbledon champion has produced a surprise boost in his bid to overcome his troublesome hip, revealing a return to the court may come sooner rather than later.
Murray was forced to withdraw from the ongoing Australian Open at the last minute with surgery required on his hip, the injury that thwarted his chances of a third Wimbledon crown last summer.
But while some feared his career may be over, Murray – who has two Olympic gold medals to his name – feels good progress is being made behind the scenes.
Taking part in a jetlag-inspired social media Q&A, he said of his recovery: “[It’s going] really well. Much better than I expected so far.
“I can tell you sitting on a couch right now whilst the Australian Open is on that I would give back being number one in the world just to be back playing on the court again.
“Passion is much higher than it was then.”
Murray also found time to talk about potential rule changes in the sport, as well as touching on possible routes into veganism and coaching once his career comes to an end.
Meanwhile, the on-court action saw mixed fortunes for the Brits as Dom Inglot progressed to the men’s doubles third round, though Jamie Murray missed out in Melbourne.
Alongside New Zealander Marcus Daniell, Inglot wasted little time making his mark with a straight sets victory over Benoit Paire and Hugo Nys.
Taking the first set 6-4, the Brit and Daniell looked in excellent touch and made the most of their good form, wrapping up the contest with a 6-2 second set to take their place in the last 16.
Hans Podlipnik-Castillo and Andrei Vasilevski are next on the agenda, with a spot in the Australian Open quarter-finals in their sights for the first time.
But Jamie Murray won’t be joining them after he and Bruno Soares lost out in an enthralling second-round encounter.
Champions in Melbourne in 2016, the British-Brazilian pairing lost out to Leander Paes and Purav Raja, though the 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 7-6 (8-6) contest was certainly not short of entertainment. Sportsbeat 2018