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I know what you’re thinking: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were all written off after their injury returns, but that hasn’t stopped them from winning the last seven majors.
The Swiss Maestro achieved arguably his greatest ever triumph at the 2017 Australian Open, overcoming a six-month injury lay-off and a hellish draw to earn his first slam since 2012.
The perennially injured King of Clay ended his three-year slam drought by dismantling his opponents at the 2017 French Open.
And the indomitable Serb picked up his 13th slam at this year’s Wimbledon, after enduring a tempestuous two-and-a-half years both on and off the court.
So why rule out Murray? Why can’t he repeat these heroics, just as they did in their 30s when on the comeback trail?
Simply put, they are in a different league to the Scot, who dropped to a world ranking of 839 earlier this year.
The 31-year-old, who was out for almost a year with a troublesome hip injury, is a magnificent player in his own right, but what these three greats have done is truly remarkable.
Unlike ‘Fedalovic’, Murray does not possess a killer shot. A shot that he can always rely on to get him cheap points or out of trouble.
For all the adulation Stan Wawrinka’s backhand received, he only started winning slams when he developed a heavyweight forehand to complement it.
Murray does not possess Federer’s magic serve, Nadal’s unrelentingly brilliant forehand, and Djokovic just does everything a bit better than the former British number one.
The Scot’s greatest asset is his court coverage. And that is where the issue lies.
Despite being 6’3” – typically the height of a power player – he is one of the best athletes in the game. In the history of tennis, few players of his height and build have successfully utilised, let alone attempted, a muscular, counter-punching style like he has.
That style has brought him a huge amount of success, but has it come at a price?
It may be more natural for a 6’1” athlete to tear around the court or, at a push, a 6’2” one, who can do that by doing the splits with wincing ease.
Although a lengthy period of convalescence might have led to a return to winning ways for the aforementioned trio, Murray may not be so lucky.
With his build and his game style, an injury like this has been on the cards for a while. The attritional approach that brought him so much success throughout his career is likely to have caused the hip problem that almost ended it.
If he loses half a step, his game cannot get him out of trouble as easily.
Andy Murray (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Can he go back down that physical route to gain success or should he adapt his style?
Craig O’Shannessy, a strategy coach in Novak Djokovic’s setup, said this will not be easy – but believes he can return to the upper echelons of the sport.
“Nadal and Andy play very physical games and it works for them. You need to balance it with hurting your opponent, without hurting yourself with the physicality of your play,” he said.
“It is important to try and win more free points. How can he extend his career? How to keep as fit as possible? You don’t want to change your game style so much that you evolve into a different player.
“This style of play brought them so much success, it is hard to go away from that.”
He added: “I think he will definitely come back. I think that level will be there.”
You could argue it is still too early to say how the Scot will fare, as Djokovic was 6-6 earlier this season before he went on a tear.
What we have seen in 2018, where Murray has four wins and three losses, is that his will to win is every bit as potent as ever.
That was epitomised after coming through his third and final marathon three-setter in Washington, where he then sobbed into his towel – it is clear each and every victory means so much to him.
But can his body handle it? He withdrew from the Citi Open due to exhaustion and at next week’s US Open he will make his first slam appearance in 14 months.
Then there is the younger generation to contend with, on top of the old guard. Is there a danger that Murray will get blasted off the court? Admittedly, these youngsters are making slow advances but the tennis landscape can change very quickly, as demonstrated by the dominance of Federer and Nadal, at the expense of Murray and Djokovic in 2017.
I truly hope Murray can get back to the big time but I worry that there will be no miraculous return for the former world number one – in fact, I think his grand slam winning days are over.
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