Dr Edwin Su believes hip resurfacing surgery can help Sir Andy Murray return to the top level of tennis.

The former world number one is expected to make a decision over the coming week whether to have the operation or prepare for a farewell appearance at Wimbledon this summer.

Dr Su is a world-leading expert in the surgery and has helped a number of professional athletes return to their sport, including doubles specialist Bob Bryan, who is playing at the Australian Open less than six months after going under the knife.

Bryan has recommended Su to Murray, although the much greater physical demands of singles means there are no guarantees of a similar outcome.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Su said: "I think it would absolutely be able to help him. Ideally, it is with no pain. Most of the time, right away from the time they wake up from the surgery, patients say that the pain is gone.

Andy Murray's career high and lows Show all 10 1 / 10 Andy Murray's career high and lows Andy Murray's career high and lows Highs: Summer of 2012 Only a month after his tearful fourth grand slam final loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Murray gained redemption in spectacular fashion by emphatically defeating the Swiss to claim Olympic gold on Centre Court. He followed it up at the US Open by ending the long wait for a British male grand slam singles champion with a dramatic five-set victory over Novak Djokovic. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows First Wimbledon The victory that will always be top of the pile came on a glorious summer's day at SW19. Murray faced Djokovic again in front of an expectant crowd on Centre Court and rode the wave to finally consign Fred Perry to history, surviving a nerve-jangling final game. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows Davis Cup glory Wimbledon was Murray's crowning individual glory but arguably his most extraordinary accomplishment was winning the Davis Cup for Britain almost single-handed. His brother Jamie and James Ward chipped in but Murray won an unprecedented 11 out of 12 rubbers across four ties. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows 2016 Wimbledon and Olympics After reuniting with Ivan Lendl, Murray swept to his third slam title at Wimbledon, this time beating Milos Raonic. And a month later he made some history for himself, overcoming Juan Martin Del Potro in Rio to become the first tennis player to successfully defend an Olympic singles title. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows World number one The season of Murray's career had a golden ending when a run of five straight tournament victories, culminating in victory at the ATP Finals in London, carried him to the world number one ranking. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows Lows: Knee trouble Murray feared his career might be over before it began when knee pain interrupted his training in Spain at the age of 16. He was diagnosed with a bipartite patella but was able to manage it effectively. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows Anyone but England Teenage joshing with Tim Henman during an interview in 2006 came back to haunt Murray when his joke that he would be supporting 'anyone but England' at that summer's football World Cup was widely publicised and damaged his public image and his relationship with the press for several years. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows Back surgery Murray's first time under the knife came in 2013, when he decided a troublesome back problem needed to be fixed by surgery. The Scot was only sidelined for three months but it took him a long time to fully recover. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows Lendl split While Murray was working his way back in 2014, he was dealt a major body blow when mentor Lendl decided he no longer wanted to continue their relationship. Their reunion in 2016 helped the Scot win more of the sport's biggest prizes. Getty Andy Murray's career high and lows Hip pain The low that has overshadowed all the rest began after the French Open in 2017, when Murray found he was no longer able to recover from chronic hip pain that he had been managing. Despite surgery and long periods of recovery and rehabilitation, the 31-year-old has not found a solution. Getty

"It is really miraculous. There is then healing and soft-tissue pain but, once they start feeling better, they are able to do the things they used to do. They can regain their normal life.

"What is unknown in elite athletes is whether they can return to sport. There is no guarantee in any medical procedure but, given he has been able to continue his performance at such a high level with a bad hip, I would guess the new hip would function better.

"I believe it could get him back to the top level. It does raise the question of whether or not that level of activity would affect the implant's longevity. In our experience it doesn't seem to. Some of my patients have done ultra-marathons with 15,000 miles on the new hip."

Andy Murray acknowledges the crowd ( REUTERS )

Su believes the timescale for a return would be similar to Bryan's meaning, if Murray had the surgery soon, he could even be back for Wimbledon.

"Singles is much more strenuous than doubles," he added. "It's uncharted territory. No one has done it and returned in singles tennis and it would require more endurance in the muscle to cover the court but, based on the previous operations of sportsmen in basketball and hockey, who also have to move quickly, I think he could do it.

"Murray means a lot to the sport and I think he has got a lot of great tennis left in him. We just have to give him a great hip."

Leon Smith said on Sunday that he would give up his job as Great Britain Davis Cup captain "instantly" if Murray wanted it.

"We could use him on the performance side at the push of a button. Look, he could get my job, that's fine," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme.

"If I'm going to step away for someone for the Davis Cup, I would instantly give it to Andy Murray if he wanted it. That would be no problem to me whatsoever.

"He's earned the right for that and he could help British players or he could be involved in training camps. Whatever it is, we want to use him."

Smith was also optimistic that Murray could "find a way" to play at Wimbledon again in the future.