Florida Crocs superstar Liam Pitchford will need hip resurfacing “at a later date sometime soon,” Pitchford announced on social media.
Pitchford underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a broken hip, which sidelined him for a significant portion of Major League Table Tennis’ third season. Doctors told him that the cartilage in his “too badly damaged” and is “beyond repair.”
As of this article’s publication, there is no timetable for Pitchford’s hip resurfacing or return.
“Trying to stay as positive as I can and aim to be back on the table,” Pitchford wrote on an Instagram post. “Thanks for the support to everyone I’ve gotten it from.”
Pitchford is a four-time Olympian and an 11-time medalist at the Commonwealth Games. He is England’s highest-ranked table tennis singles player, currently sitting at No. 60 in men's singles.
In his rookie year with the Crocs, Pitchford earned a 64.4% singles win percentage (29-16) and a 46.7% doubles win percentage (14-16), while winning 51.5% of his Golden Games (52-101). Those stats made him a finalist for MVP that season.
MLTT’s former first-overall pick has been sidelined since Sept. 17, but has been on the injury report since the start of the league’s third season. The Florida Crocs have a 2-4 record with 56 points without him this year, which puts them as the third-ranked team in the East Division.
The Crocs will continue their season without Pitchford on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. EST against the Los Angeles Spinners. The Crocs' Week 7 match will be streamed exclusively on Table Tennis TV.
