Andy Murray may skip some dirty work in an effort to maintain his health and fitness.

The former world No. 1, who returned to action in Shenzhen today, is considering cutting back on his clay schedule in 2019.

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The 31-year-old Scot, who underwent hip sugery in January, is planning more breaks for rest and recovery next season.

"Maybe during the clay-court season I might look to reduce my schedule a little bit there, play a bit less potentially to give myself bigger chunks in the year where I’m giving myself time to train and let my body rest and recover," Murray told Sky Sports in a video interview. "Again that is probably something I haven’t done much over the years. But that’s how the tennis schedule works."

Roger Federer has not played Roland Garros since 2015 in an effort to provide periods of rest and recovery in his schedule. 

"What's relevant is really how many matches you're winning," Murray told Sky Sports. "If you play a reduced schedule – like 10 or 11 tournaments in a year – but you only win 10 matches, playing 20 matches in a year is not really enough.

"You ideally want to have a lighter schedule and be winning matches. When you’re coming back from a long lay-off, when rankings drop and you're not seeded in tournaments, it's difficult to do that."

Photo credit: @Queen's Club