Murray makes winning return after injury lay-off
Former world No. 1 Andy Murray made a successful return to competitive tennis yesterday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over local favourite James Duckworth at the Brisbane Open.
Murray, 31, ended his season early last year after suffering pain in his hip following surgery that ruled him out of three of the four Grand Slam events.
The Scot, 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.
As an unseeded player in Brisbane, he has a tough draw, with a second-round clash with Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev.
Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios started his Brisbane Open title defence with a battling 7-6(7/5) 5-7, 7-6(7/5) victory over American Ryan Harrison.
The Australian stuttered before firing 45 aces to overcome Harrison in a rematch of last year's final.
Kyrgios' preparations for the season were interrupted by a spider bite that required hospital treatment last month. - REUTERS
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