Andy Murray's former coach Brad Gilbert has warned that taking a break after the US Open could cost him.

The Scot has been hampered by a hip injury in recent months and has hinted that he may call time on his 2017 campaign if things do not go well at Flushing Meadows.

Roger Federer's wins at the Australian Open and Wimbledon have given credence to the idea of having a break, following his decision to take the second half of last year off in order to rest his body.

Gilbert, who coached Murray for 16 months between 2006 and 2007, believes it would be a mistake for the 30-year-old to walk away for an extended time, citing Federer's unique characteristics as the reason it has paid off for the Swiss.

"This whole Fed thing. It turned out like a genius that he took six months off," Gilbert told ESPN. "Fed's a unique case, he's a maestro, he's a genius.

"Just because it worked for the guy who's the conductor, doesn't mean it's going to work for everybody else.

"Murray also doesn't have the game like Fed where he can just pick up after not playing for months, and be sharp. He gets sharp by playing lots of matches, that's how he plays his best tennis.

"So I'm still not convinced by all these guys who say, "OK, let's take the rest of the year off," because your ranking is going to drop and they're not all like Fed."