Andy Murray could benefit from Roger Federer-esque break from the game, says Patrick McEnroe

Murray has not played since Wimbledon, where he was struggling with a hip injury which contributed to his quarter-final loss to Sam Querrey

Andy Murray hasn't played since losing at Wimbledon (Getty)

Patrick McEnroe believes that Andy Murray could benefit from an extended break from the game in the way that Roger Federer prospered after taking off the second six months of last year.

Murray has not played since Wimbledon, where he was struggling with a hip injury which contributed to his quarter-final loss to Sam Querrey, and withdrew from this summer’s two Masters Series tournaments but is due to return at the US Open, which begins here on Monday.

Federer, meanwhile, has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon as well as tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and Halle since returning to competition at the start of this year. He had ended his 2016 campaign after suffering knee trouble at Wimbledon.

Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, the winner and runner-up at last year’s US Open, have followed Federer’s lead this summer by withdrawing from all competition between now and the end of the year because of knee and elbow problems respectively. Kei Nishikori is taking an extended break because of a wrist injury, which is also the reason why Milos Raonic will be missing from the year’s final Grand Slam event.

McEnroe, a highly respected commentator who will be part of ESPN’s team at the US Open, said: “I’m sure Andy could use an extended break. He’s played a ton of tennis, and he’s the kind of guy that has worked himself incredibly, incredibly hard. He’s not as nimble or as flexible as Djokovic and Federer, and I think that getting to No 1, which was an incredible accomplishment last year, took a lot out of him in a lot of ways, mentally and physically.”

However, McEnroe’s co-commentator, Brad Gilbert, who used to coach Murray, questioned the value of taking a lengthy break from competition, saying that Federer was a unique case.

“Federer’s a maestro, a genius, but just because it worked for the guy that’s the conductor doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everybody else,” Gilbert said. “If you don’t really need it, taking time off doesn’t help you. Murray also doesn’t have a game like Federer where he can just pick up after not playing for months and be sharp. He’s sharp by playing lots of matches. That’s how he plays his best tennis, and he has a great work ethic on the court, but he doesn’t just win free points like Federer can do.”

Federer has been rewarded for his time out of the game (AFP/Getty Images)

Gilbert believes Murray’s opening matches will be crucial to his chances. The Scot will learn of his possible route through the tournament when the draw is made later today.

“To me it’s about two tournaments for Murray,” Gilbert said. “The first tournament is the first week. You sure as heck can’t win the tournament in the first week, but you can lose it. He has obviously had no matches for a few weeks so his form is going to be a little off. Therefore it’s all about somehow getting nine sets in the first week and getting some confidence in the second week. Obviously the fact that he’s here means he’s probably feeling like at least physically that he’s OK. That’s the hardest thing when you haven’t played - all of a sudden jumping in and playing best-of-five-set matches.”

McEnroe said it was difficult to predict how Murray will play. “Obviously he’s capable of winning it, but none of us have seen him play since Wimbledon,” McEnroe said. “I would say it’s unlikely that he could win it just based on that fact, but if he can get through the first two or three rounds and look good physically, there’s certainly no doubt that he’s got to think that he’s got a shot because Djokovic has been the guy that’s really been his biggest nemesis in the big, big matches.

“Obviously Federer has beaten him a lot, as well, but he’s also beaten Federer a lot. Djokovic is really the one guy, though Stan has also given him trouble. Hopefully he’s physically fit. I’m assuming he is. But once he starts to play a couple of matches, that’s when we’ll get a real idea.”