Tennis news - ‘I just get the sense Andy’s not quite ready to quit yet', says Judy Murray

Murray will have the 24-hour flight from Australia back to the UK to consider his next move after being beaten in five sets against Roberto Bautista Agut in Melbourne.

The 31-year-old came close to providing yet another magic comeback after trailing by two sets, but he eventually succumbed to a 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 defeat - leaving many to ponder if his superb fightback was the last we shall see of him on court.

Should Murray opt to undertake further surgery, it is likely to end his career in elite competition - but it would reduce the pain - and Judy has confirmed that her son will spend the next fortnight deliberating over whether to bring down the curtain on his career with immediate effect.

“I don’t know what he’ll do next. He probably doesn’t know yet," she said on Tuesday.

"He can take his time, there’s no rush to make any decisions. It all needs to be looked at and researched and weighed up. But, whatever he decides, I’ll be right behind him. Quality of life, of course, is massive and he’s got two little kids. He must enjoy life in the long-term.

Meanwhile, Murray has attacked British tennis authorities for what he believes has been a failure on their behalf to take advantage of his glittering career to further the sport in the UK.

The former world number 1 has criticised the Lawn Tennis Association's inability to utlise his achievements to increase participation in the sport.

According to figures released by Sport England, 445,100 people over 16 played tennis at least once a week in 2012 - the year Murray won his first Major title at the US Open.

But in 2016, when the Scot claimed a second Wimbledon title, that figure was down to 398,200, and Murray said on Tuesday: "I am not sure Britain has really capitalised on the last seven or eight years of success that we've had really. Whether it be myself, my brother, Jo (Konta), Kyle (Edmund), Davis Cup, those sorts of things.

"I'm not sure how much we've done there. Maybe it's something I should have given more thought to while I was playing but I never felt that was my job to do that. It is a little bit disappointing. I don't understand how in the last eight to 10 years that participation is dropping, I don't get it. If that is the case, it's disappointing.

"I know in Scotland that there has not been many indoor courts built in the last 10 years. That seems madness. I don't understand why that is. I guess those are the things that are important for the future. You need to get kids playing, you need to have the facilities that allow them to do that."