Andy Murray may not play in a Grand Slam until Wimbledon after injury rules him out of Aussie Open  

Andy Murray’s late abandonment of plans to play in Australia means that he may not be seen at a Grand Slam until Wimbledon.

Even before he suffered what, on Saturday night, he termed a ‘setback’ to keep him out of next month’s Australian Open, the 32-year-old Scot had hinted his participation on clay this year might be strictly limited.

With Wimbledon offering him the best chance of deep progress at one of the majors, it is entirely possible he would skip the French Open to gain maximum preparation for the grass.

The three-time Grand Slam winner last appeared at the Davis Cup Finals but played just once

The immediate consequence of his withdrawal from next week’s ATP Cup team event in Sydney was a call-up for former Davis Cup stalwart James Ward.

Going forward there will be further speculation about whether the body of Britain’s greatest player can stand the strain of intense training and competition at the highest level.

While Murray’s management described his absence from Australia as a case of him being unable to recover quickly enough from pelvic bruising first reported last month, the player himself hinted that something more particular may have happened.

Murray famously broke down at last year’s Australian Open when it looked like he would retire 

‘Unfortunately I’ve had a setback recently and, as a precaution, need to work through that before I get back on court competing,’ he said via a Tennis Australia statement. 

‘I’ve worked so hard to get myself into a situation where I can play at the top level and I’m gutted I’m not going to be able to play.

‘After the Australian Open earlier this year, when I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to play again, I was excited about coming back to Australia and giving my best, and that makes this even more disappointing for me.’

His next tournament is now due to be the indoor ATP event in Montpellier at the start of February.

While Murray has emphasised the need to schedule himself smartly in this late phase of his career, after two hip operations, it would be a serious cause for concern if he does not make it back for then.

In the meantime his no-show in Australia is a rude awakening for Tim Henman, who landed in Sydney on Sunday for what is his captaincy debut in the new 24-nation competition which comes, absurdly, hot on the heels of November’s Davis Cup finals.

Ward, now 32 years of age and 320 in the world after struggling to climb the rankings due to a series of knee problems, comes in to supplement the GB team of Dan Evans, Cam Norrie, Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury. 

Other British players like Jay Clarke and Liam Broady are higher ranked but did not put themselves down as available for the event by the November deadline — unlike Ward.

Jack Draper, 18, would also have been considered but he did not put himself on the list either.

James Ward has received a call-up to the Great Britain team as a result of Murray’s withdrawal

The GB team at the ATP Cup will be captained by former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman

It is the same unsatisfactory process which means that obvious selection Kyle Edmund could not be picked because his ranking was falsely depressed last month. As with others, he has committed to concurrent ATP events.

At least Ward has solid experience of team events. When Britain won the Davis Cup in 2015 he was the only player to win a singles point aside from the man he now replaces.

Serena Williams has been voted ‘Female Athlete of the Decade’ by American sports writers and editors. 

The 23-time major winner beat gymnast Simone Biles into second in the poll conducted by the Associated Press. ‘It could be that Serena is the greatest athlete of all time,’ said Stacey Allaster, USTA chief executive.