Andy Murray says he is set to play his first tour match back at Brisbane, despite some recurring hip issues.
Murray has not played an ATP tournament since Wimbledon, deciding to rest the hip rather than have surgery. The former No. 1 played an unscheduled set at Abu Dhabi this week, losing to Roberto Bautista Agut, and intends to compete at Brisbane even though he looked hampered in his movement.
"It was the first competitive points I’ve played for a while. It went okay," he told press at Brisbane. "Unless something happens the next couple of days that goes wrong, I don’t see myself not playing because of my hip right now.
"I need to play matches to see exactly where it’s at. Right now the hip is the only part of the body that is any concern."
Murray says he also had a renewed enthusiasm for the game following his layoff.
"I would love it to be No. 1 in the world level, but I just want to play," he said. "You realize how important it is.
"I might feel like I’m playing really poorly on some days, but I might still be good enough to beat Top 30, Top 40 in the world, which is still a really, really high level."
Murray is the second seed at Brisbane.