Andy Murray has skipped the Australian warm-up tournament in Sydney and has instead opted to head to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the year.  

Scottish tennis star Murray has only competed in two matches since September but he has been nursing a hip problem that has stopped him playing in tournaments.

And now Murray has not accepted a wildcard entry into the Sydney International tournament so he can focus on getting ready to play in the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne. 

The Scot's comeback from his lengthy stint in rehabilitation Murray won his first match against Australian James Duckworth before losing to Russian Daniil Medvedev, the 16th best player in the world, in the second round of the Brisbane International. 

The 31-year-old has admitted that he still suffers from pain in his hip and is unsure on how much longer he will be able to keep playing tennis after admitting he 'suffers pain even when walking and can find that worse than some of the movement in matches.

The 31-year-old Scot posted a picture of a boarding pass going from Sydney to Melbourne on social media to tell his followers that he was heading straight to Melbourne to rest and be in a position to play in the first major competition of the year.

Murray is not the only player to have any injury problems heading into the first Grand Slam of the year, though.

British number one Kyle Edmund has also pulled out of the Sydney International with a knee injury.

The 23-year-old world number 14 has promised to do ‘everything he can’ to recover in time for the Australian Open, which starts on January 14, and his representatives have said his injury is ‘nothing too serious’.

Maria Sharapova is another big-name doubt for the Australian Open after she retired from the Shenzhen Open with a thigh injury.