THERE was sadness but little surprise last night when Andy Murray said that he is "most likely" out for the remainder of the competitive tennis season as he rests and rehabilitates his injured hip. The 30-year-old confirmed yesterday ruled himself out of the forthcoming ATP tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai and also expects to sit out the season-ending events in Vienna and Paris.

With his ranking likely to fall out of the world's top eight players in the next few months, making him ineligible for the ATP World Tour Finals in London in any case, the three-time Grand Slam winner said he was looking forward to beginning his 2018 season with the traditional Australian Open warm-up tournament in Brisbane. The only exception he will make to this self-enforced absence from the match court will come on the night of November 7 when he will take part in his second annual Andy Murray Live exhibition event at the SSE Hydro. Last year's event raised in excess of £300,000 for Unicef and local charities and this year confirmed guest Roger Federer can be guaranteed to provide him with a reasonable work-out.

"Unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete in the upcoming events in Beijing and Shanghai, and most likely, the final two events to finish the season in Vienna and Paris due to my hip injury which has been bothering me the last few months," said the World No 2, 30, who pulled out of the US Open two days before the tournament began and has not played since Wimbledon in July. "Having consulted with a number of leading hip specialists over the last week, along with my own team, we have decided that this is the best decision for my long-term future."

If an injury plagued year has been a reminder of the Scot's mortality - many of the sport's leading lights such as Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori have made similar decisions - there was little sign of dismay. Having opted against the nuclear option of surgery, the 30-year-old sees no reason why he shouldn't be competing for Grand Slam titles again next season, and was eagerly anticipating that exhibition event in Glagow.

"Although this has been a frustrating year on court for many reasons, I’m confident after this extended period of rest and rehabilitation that I will be able to reach my best level again and be competing for Grand Slam titles next season," said Murray. "I will be beginning my ATP World Tour 2018 season in Brisbane in preparation for the Australian Open and I’m look forward playing in Glasgow later this year against Roger for UNICEF and Sunny-sid3up. I have a fantastic team working alongside me to help me through this process and appreciate the support from them and all of my fans over this difficult period."