Andy Murray struck a positive note ahead of his return to singles action today, following career-threatening hip surgery in January.
The 32-year-old former world No 1 is due to play Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the Cincinnati Masters in his first competitive singles outing since undergoing hip resurfacing after the Australian Open.
Murray feared the pain he was suffering could force him to retire from the game, but after returning to doubles action at Queen’s in June, the three-time Grand Slam champion is now ready to take the next step in his recovery.
“The performances against top singles players in practices have been good,” Murray told the ATP Tour. “But at some stage, you have to take the step to try and play. The quickest way to get up to speed is by being on the practice and match court with top players.
“I’m not expecting to move as well I used to, but I think I can move better than I am now. That will take some time, since I only started playing singles a couple of weeks ago. When you’re playing at the highest level, against the best players, they hit the ball big and that takes some time to get used to.”
Murray’s absence has seen him drop to 325 in the world rankings, leaving him open to some tough challenges against some of the world’s best players in the early rounds of tournaments.
“You realise getting back to singles is a hard thing to do because you’re at the mercy of the draws a lot of the time,” Murray said. “I’ll just deal with it as it comes but, hopefully, it makes for some exciting early rounds.”
The Scot has yet to confirm whether he will take part in the US Open later this month but has said he will play at two tournaments in China in September.
Meanwhile, world No2 Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open due to fatigue, tournament organisers announced last night. The Spaniard beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to claim his fifth Rogers Cup in Montreal earlier in the day.
