Murray seals winning return in Brisbane
Former world No 1 Andy Murray made a successful return to competitive tennis on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over local favourite James Duckworth at the Brisbane International.
The 31-year-old Scot ended his season early last year after suffering pain in his hip following surgery earlier in 2018 that ruled him out of three of the four grand slam events.
Murray, whose ranking has dropped to 240 and was unseeded in Brisbane, had earlier said he was still feeling pain in his hip but was in a “better place” than he was 12 months ago.
“I was a bit nervous. But as the match went on I thought I moved well,” Murray said after his 10th successive win in Brisbane, having won the tournament at both his previous appearances in 2012 and 2013.
“It’s my first match after a big break. It’s not easy to sum up [but] it’s been really hard the last 18 months, been a lot of ups and downs trying to get back on court.
“Being back now I am trying to enjoy it as much as I can, for as long as I can because I am not sure how much longer I have got.”
Murray returned to the court last June and played just 12 complete matches last year, taking part in only six tournaments.
As an unseeded player in Brisbane he has a tough draw, with a second-round clash with Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev.
Reigning champion Nick Kyrgios started his title defence with a battling 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 victory over American Ryan Harrison in the opening round.
Kyrgios’ preparations for the season were interrupted by a spider bite that required hospital treatment last month and the Australian stuttered before firing 45 aces to overcome Harrison in a rematch of last year’s final.
Kyrgios, whose season ended in October due to a niggling elbow issue, will look to hit top gear ahead of this month’s Australian Open. He meets Jeremy Chardy next.
Meanwhile, Argentine big-hitter Juan Martin del Potro will miss next month’s Australian Open in Melbourne as he continues to recover from a kneecap fracture he suffered during a fall at the Shanghai Masters in October.
Del Potro has been plagued by injuries in his career and has had three operations on a wrist problem, which left him struggling to use his backhand.