Wimbledon champion Andy Murray may reportedly miss the remaining 2013 season as he will undergo minor surgery on a long-standing back injury.
The British number one's management company 77 has confirmed that he will have the procedure next week in an effort to fix the injury.
According to the Mirror, the surgery may make Murray miss the end-of-season ATP World Tour Finals in November at London's O2 Arena and the rest of 2013.
According to a 77 statement, Murray's issue flared up again during the Rome Masters this year, following which the Scot was forced to retire and made to seek the advice of a range of specialists in May about solving the issue once and for all.
Stating that Murray's aim is to be fully fit for the new season, the statement further said that Murray has enjoyed success at Queen's and Wimbledon after a successful return on the less taxing grass courts, adding that the problem has flared up again while he played on hard-courts and clay.
According to Murray's former Davis Cup teammate Jamie Baker, the break is actually needed to save the player from exhaustion, adding that the break will give the Scot the best chance of picking up more Grand Slams next year.