Murray back on court in Abu Dhabi as he prepares for Brisbane event

Andy Murray held his first practice session at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi yesterday after flying out to the United Arab Emirates.

The three-time grand slam champion is working his way back from a hip injury that has sidelined him since Wimbledon.

Murray is due to make his comeback at next week’s Brisbane International but aborted his plans to head to Australia early and looks set to test his fitness by practising against some of the world’s best.

Coach Jamie Delgado was Murray’s practice partner yesterday during a relatively gentle session lasting nearly an hour and a half.

Meanwhile,novakdjokovic’s comeback match at the grandly-titled exhibition Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi will be against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.

Bautista Agut, ranked 20th, defeated young Russian Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic has not played a match since shutting down his season following his quarter-final exit at Wimbledon because of an ongoing elbow injury.

The former world No 1, who has slipped to 12th in the world rankings, should face a good test of his level against Bautista Agut – one of the grittiest competitors on tour.

The other semi-final will pit fifth-rankeddominicthiemof Austria against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, who defeated Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 7-6 (7/2).