Murray: I’m ready to make return

ANDY MURRAY believes he will be fully able to return to competition, once the Covid-19 crisis has abated and the tennis tours resume.

An optimistic take on his fitness was one of the aspects to emerge from a chaotic Instagram chat with a distinctly worse-for-wear Nick Kyrgios.

It was past midnight at the Australian’s Canberra home when the exchange began, and it appeared that his estimate of having drunk six glasses of wine may have been on the low side.

In the most coherent part of their conversation — a surreal event, during which they were advised by Kevin Pietersen to shut down — Kyrgios asked the Scot how he was progressing.

Murray, who turned 33 on Friday and has returned to training, replied: ‘I feel pretty good I was doing well before the injury at the Davis Cup. I think when things get back to normal I will be all right.”

Otherwise Kyrgios was on outrageous form, to the slight bemusement of his friend, who wore the look of the only sober man at a raucous party.

‘My knowledge and interest in red wine has gone incredibly up during this quarantine,’ said Kyrgios, who explained that he is now allowed to congregate with a maximum of ten people in a private space. The Australian, slurping a glass of Shiraz, told Murray that he was one of the few people in tennis that he misses, and how highly he rates him as a player.

Describing the Scot as a ‘living legend’, Kyrgios suggested they should play doubles together.

‘Only if you promise to behave, you said you were going to,’ replied Murray.

Murray’s first tournament back, if fit, is likely to be in the UK, with no return of the ATP Tour likely for at least two months.