Andy Murray underwent hip resurfacing surgery in London on Monday, two-and-a-half weeks on from announcing his plans to retire from tennis. 

In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the former world No. 1 explained:

"I underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in London yesterday morning...feeling a bit battered and bruised just now but hopefully that will be the end of my hip pain. I now have a metal hip."

Ahead of the 2019 Australian Open, Murray's career looked to be all but over.

In an emotional press conference, the Scot told reporters he wanted to "get through this [pain] until Wimbledon" so he could retire at his home tournament, but he admitted the Australian Open could be his final act in a glittering career.

After losing a remarkable five-set first-round match to Roberto Bautista Agut in Melbourne, though, the three-time Grand Slam winner hinted he could return:

It will surely be a race against time for Murray, 31, to recover from his latest surgery and be fit for 2019's Wimbledon, which begins on July 1.

BBC Sport's Russell Fuller gave his assessment of Murray's potential return to the game:

The two-time Olympic gold medallist has been struggling for his best tennis for some time.

He won his second Wimbledon title in July 2016 and became world No. 1 for the first time later that year, but he subsequently missed four Grand Slams in a row between the 2017 U.S. Open and 2018 Wimbledon.

A second-round exit at 2018's U.S. Open and the first-round Melbourne loss to Bautista Agut showed Murray was nowhere near his best. 

And despite the latest surgery, it seems unlikely he will ever return to the upper echelons of the game.