ANDY Murray's career is drawing to a close after he admitted he no longer wants to play through the pain of a chronic hip problem.

At an emotional press conference ahead of the Australian Open, the Scot revealed next week's first-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut could be his last, although he is hoping to retire after Wimbledon.

Here, we reflect on the highs and lows of a rollercoaster career.

The National:

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.

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 a expectant crowd on Centre Court and rode the wave to finally consign Fred Perry to history, surviving a nerve-jangling final game.

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.

The National:

Second Wimbledon, second 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. He was also selected as Team GB's flag bearer.

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.

The National:

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.

Anyone but England
Some innocent teenage joshing with Tim Henman during an interview in 2006 was blown out of proportion when Murray joked that he would be supporting "anyone but England" at that summer's football World Cup. Despite some criticism down south, the comment was most significant for providing a glimpse of the tennis star's devilish wit.

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.

The National:

Lendl split
While Murray was working his way back to fitness in 2014, mentor Lendl departed from his coaching team. However, Their reunion in 2016 helped the Scot win more of the sport's biggest prizes.

Hip pain
The low that has overshadowed 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 concluded his body can take no more.

Murray has undoubtedly faced his fair share of adversity, but that's what it takes to become one of the world's greatest tennis players in an era of unprecedented superstars.