Murray steps up comeback by accepting Shanghai wild card
ANDY MURRAY hopes his recovery from a hip operation can continue on an upward trajectory after taking a wild card in next month’s Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The former world No.1 is stepping up his singles comeback following surgery in January and will return to the ATP Tour at the Zhuhai Championships beginning on September 23.
Murray was last in action at a Challenger event in Majorca where he went out in the third round to Matteo Viola.
“The last tournament was at Challenger level which was good for me,” Murray said. “I haven’t played at that level for 14 or 15 years but I enjoyed it. I am just happy to be healthy again. I would like to be playing at a higher level but it was fun for me out there.”
Murray is playing for four weeks in a row as the China Open in Beijing is sandwiched in between his outings in Zhuhai and Shanghai before competing in the European Open in Antwerp.
While he is now able to play pain-free the 32-year-old is still short of speed.
“Now I don’t have any limitations on what I can’t do,” Murray said. “I am certainly still a little bit slow in terms of where I would like to get to. I’m thinking that in the next four or five months that is going to get better.”
Another player set to make a comeback is Kim Clijsters. The Belgian has announced she intends to join the WTA Tour when it reaches Australia in January, having retired for the second time in 2012.
She said: “At 36 years old I feel like I’m too young to be retired and, with so many inspirational athletes and moms competing, I can’t wait to get back on the match court and see what’s possible after having three children.”