20 Sep 2013

Murray to have back surgery

5:45 am on 20 September 2013

Britain's world tennis number three Andy Murray is unlikely to play again this season after deciding to undergo surgery on a long-standing back injury.

The 26-year-old has a disc problem in his lower back and is set to miss this year's remaining tour events, including November's World Tour Finals in London.

The injury flared up in May, forcing him to withdraw from the French Open.

He returned in July and was the first Briton to win Wimbledon since 1936, but has struggled back on the hard courts and lost in the US Open quarter-finals.

The disc problem, which Murray has suffered for two years, affects a nerve in his lower back which can send pain shooting down his hip and upper leg.

It appears to cause him more problems when he plays on clay and the harder surfaces than on grass courts.