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Andy Murray delivers positive recovery update: 'Much better than I expected'

Andy Murray said his rehabilitation from injury was going well.
Andy Murray said his rehabilitation from injury was going well. Photograph: Mike Frey/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

Andy Murray held a pre-dawn Twitter question-and-answer session on Saturday that revealed, among major and minor secrets, that he is recovering more quickly than he anticipated from his recent hip injury and expects to return to tennis, “very soon”.

The jetlagged former world No 1, who withdrew at the last minute from the Australian Open and returned to the UK after a hip operation in Melbourne, initiated the exchange with his fans at 4.01am GMT. Calls came from all parts of the world and found Murray in jovial mood.

“I’ve almost learned English,” he said in response to a query about how many languages he speaks. He actually has a rudimentary of Spanish, but once got lost on the Paris Metro, because he could not decipher the map.

It might surprise few of those close to him that he prefers quick crosswords to cryptic – although he is capable of the latter in some of his answers. And there was an update on his return to tennis after his recent hip operation: “Soon … very soon,” he said. As for his rehab, he replied: “Really well … Much better than I expected so far.”

Murray is known as the king of suffering on the circuit, having survived many long, tough matches, but recalls some more vividly than others: “Olympic final was brutal and loss to Novak [Djokovic] in 5 at aussie open … Can’t remember which year 2012, I think.” As for suggestions that matches at slams be reduced from five sets to three, he said: “If it’s what the people want then worth a try. I don’t mind either way. Best of 3 easier on the body, would help longevity. Best of 5 tests mental and physical side more.” And fewer mandatory events would help reduce injuries, he reckoned.

Other takeaway snippets included: the fact he prefers a match played to the finish rather than through a tie-break; he is avoiding junk food while away from tennis, although he indulges himself on, “pancakes and Nutella for breakfast but I’m good the rest of the day.” He revealed, also, that he would one day coach a young professional. And asked which was his favourite grand slam, he replied: “That’s like having to choose between your 4 best friends to be best man at your wedding … Love them all but I’ve known Wimbledon the longest.”

Issue on which he was less forthcoming included the Novak Djokovic call for a players’ union and a pay rise (with the strong hint of industrial action as a hammer). He pretty much sidestepped that completely. On whether it was Nick Kyrgios’s time to strike, he said of his Australian friend: “Nick will have lots of opportunities throughout his career.”

And, in response to the left-field query, “Will there ever be a boy born who can swim faster than a shark?” he answered: “I don’t know. But if I crash land in a jungle will I be able to eat my own shoe?” Murray then absented himself from the discourse: “Kids are up … Thanks for the questions.”