• Murray still troubled by hip injury but aims to play at US Open • Scot now certain to lose top ranking this month

Andy Murray has pulled out of the Cincinnati Masters because of the hip injury he struggled with at Wimbledon. The Scot’s absence means he is certain to lose his world No1 ranking this month.

Murray has not played since his quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon to Sam Querrey but still hopes to fit for the US Open – the final grand slam of the season – which starts on 28 August.

Novak Djokovic will miss the rest of 2017 season with elbow injury Read more

Murray said: “Unfortunately I won’t be playing in Cincinnati as I continue my recovery. I always enjoy playing there and I look forward to returning next year. I’m continuing to work hard on the court with the aim of being in New York.”

His insistence he could play at the US Open is a good sign after fears his troublesome hip could rule him out for the rest of the season. Murray went into the defence of his Wimbledon title with the injury and kept it at bay for the early rounds before struggling against the big-hitting Querrey. Last week Murray pulled out of the Masters 1000 event in Montreal, and Cincinnati represented his final chance for a warmup before the US Open.

Murray, who has been the world’s top-ranked player since November last year, will be overtaken by Rafael Nadal in the rankings if the Spaniard reaches the semi-finals in Montreal this week.

Murray is not the only player feeling the effects of a gruelling year. Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have already revealed they will sit out the rest of the season with elbow and knee injuries, respectively.

Nadal will be the top seed in Cincinnati, which starts on Sunday, with the Wimbledon champion Roger Federer the second seed. It is the first time the pair have been the top two seeds at the event since 2009.

• This article was corrected on 10 August 2017. The earliest Rafael Nadal can replace Andy Murray as the world No1 is in Montreal this week, not next week in Cincinnati.