It was supposed to be the year Andy Murray reigned supreme at the top of tennis.

The Scot finally achieved world number one status last November after winning a second Wimbledon title, Olympic gold and the World Tour Finals during 2016.

The final few steps to reach the summit are often the toughest and the monumental effort required to dethrone Novak Djokovic left the Dunblane-born star battered and bruised.

Murray's attempts to cement his position at the top of the tennis tree have been hindered as a result, forcing him to pull out of a number of tournaments over the course of the year.

In August, he was officially replaced by Rafael Nadal at the top of the rankings.

And then after flying to New York to practise, he was forced to pull out of the US Open.

On Wednesday, Murray said he was "unlikely" to play competitive tennis again in 2017.

Here's how his year has unravelled to date:

January

Murray's achievements were recognised in the 2017 New Years Honours List when he received a knighthood for his services to tennis and charity.

He brought his good form from 2016 into his first tournament and started strongly, reaching the final in Doha, but he then suffered a shock fourth-round exit at the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, when he lost out to German Mischa Zverev in four sets.

February

He recovered quickly by winning the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships.

A recurring elbow injury soon flared, though, and he lost in the second round of the prestigious Indian Wells Masters event to Vasek Pospisil.

April

Murray skipped the Miami Masters to rest after the Indian Wells setback.

He returned for the Monte-Carlo Masters only to suffer a shock loss to Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the third round.

A run to the semi-finals in Barcelona hinted at a return to form and fitness but a loss to Dominic Thiem was followed up by straight-sets defeats in the third round in Rome and second round in Madrid.

May

Murray looked to have returned to the swing of things at the French Open after defeating Juan Martin del Potro and Karen Khachanov in straight sets and outgunning Kai Nishikori in the quarters.

But his clay court run came to an end in the semi-finals when Swiss maestro Stan Wawrinka came out on top in a five-set epic.

June

A return to the grass courts of Queens, where five-time champion Murray has often prospered, brought fresh hope that the Scot could breathe new life into an ailing season.

But he suffered a disappointing first-round defeat to Jordan Thompson as concerns over a lingering hip injury came to the fore.

July

The defending champion declared himself fit for Wimbledon and progressed effortlessly to the third round, where he outgunned Italian Fabio Fognini over four sets.

A third straight sets win of the championships booked Murray a spot in the quarter-finals and a successful defence of his crown looked a real possibility.

Murray's recurring hip issues took their toll, though, and the Scot slumped to a five-set defeat to big-serving American Sam Querrey.

Small consolation was to be found when Novak Djokovic also exited at the quarter-final stage, ensuring Murray retained his status as the world No 1.

August

Murray announced he had not recovered from his hip injury in time to play in the Rogers Cup in Canada.

Next he pulled out of the Cincinnati Open, meaning he slipped to no 2 in the world rankings.

He travelled to New York, intending to play in the US Open, but pulled out before the tournament began.

September

Murray announced that his year was almost certainly over. He confirmed he wouldn't play his next two scheduled tournaments and said he was "unlikely" to return to action in 2017.

The Scot said he had consulted a number of specialists and concluded that rest will allow him to return to the top of the sport next year.