Murray looking to resume battle for Australian Open

ANDY MURRAY has targeted a return to top form at January’s Australian Open.

The former world No1, who lost lost his first singles match since undergoing hip surgery at the Cincinnati Masters,will only play doubles at the US Open in New York, which begins in a fortnight.

But he is expected to be back in peak physical condition for the Australian Open in Melbourne.

It was there at the beginning of this year that the double Olympic champion tearfully confessed that he feared his career was over before losing in the first round and going under the knife for a second time.

But the Scot now wants to return to the Australian Open

– where he has lost five finals – as a contender to win his first title Down Under.

“I’m certainly not going to go backwards from here,” Murray said. “I think nine to 12 months after the operation is when I would expect to be getting close to the best that I can be physically – and speed-wise I should be fully recovered by 12 months.”

Murray, 32, said his legs were “a little heavy” after his 6-4, 6-4 defeat by Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati and he still needed time to build up his fitness.

“I’m obviously happy to be back playing,” he said. “I thought being away would maybe change my perspective completely on things but I am sitting here disappointed, which is probably a good thing if I want to get back to playing at a high level.” Murray did reach the last 16 of the men’s doubles in Cincinnati last night.

He and partner Feliciano Lopez beat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 3-6, 6-3, 10-3.

The general expectation is that this force of nature will rock up with just one first-class game in 11 months plus a run out against the Gloucestershire 2nd XI behind him and turn the Ashes on its head.

Steve Smith? Not a problem. David Warner and the rest? Fodder. Grist to Archer’s mill and power to his elbow.

Of course, things will not be that simple and the look on Joe Root’s face yesterday acknowledged as much as he talked about managing expectations surrounding the rocket man from Barbados.

Yes, Archer is very exciting and a rare talent, but the chances are he will not run through Australia like he did Gloucester reserves last week.

But if he can be used to make key strikes, he will have done his job.

Root’s deployment of Archer looks to be the key to not only this Test match but turning around the Ashes momentum and also reinvigorating a captaincy that is showing signs of stuttering.

His overall record may stand the comparison against the past 40 years but his mark against Australia is strangely poor and his leadership in the first Test was