British number one Andy Murray has announced that he will "most likely" miss the remainder of the season due to an ongoing hip injury.
The 30-year-old has endured a frustrating 2017 after most recently being forced to pull out of the US Open two days before it began.
Murray has been out of action since Wimbledon in July when suffering a surprise quarter-final defeat on home soil to Sam Querry, going down 3-6 6-4 (4)6-7 6-1 6-1.
Having also now withdrawn from ATP Tour events in Beijing and Shanghai next month, Murray has revealed that he plans to rest up in order to return to peak fitness in time for the Australian Open in January.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to compete in the upcoming events in Beijing and Shanghai, and most likely, the final two events to finish the season in Vienna and Paris due to my hip injury which has been bothering me the last few months," he wrote on Facebook.
"Having consulted with a number of leading hip specialists over the last week, along with my own team, we have decided that this is the best decision for my long-term future. Although this has been a frustrating year on court for many reasons, I'm confident after this extended period of rest and rehabilitation that I will be able to reach my best level again and be competing for Grand Slam titles next season.
"I will be beginning my 2018 season in Brisbane in preparation for the Australian Open and I'm looking forward playing in Glasgow later this year against Roger for UNICEF UK and Sunny-sid3up. I have a fantastic team working alongside me to help me through this process and appreciate the support from them and all of my fans over this difficult period."
Murray recently slipped behind Rafael Nadal in the men's tennis rankings, finding himself second in the world.
