Murray: I've Missed Playing, I've Missed Competing

The last time we saw Andy Murray on a tennis court was nearly one year ago at the All England Club. The World No. 1 at the time, Murray was battling Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals, with his quest for a third Wimbledon crown very much alive.

But the Scot, who had been struggling with persistent hip pain during the fortnight, was seen limping throughout his encounter with Querrey and would eventually fall in four sets. Despite remaining optimistic that he would return towards the end of the 2017 season, his body would not cooperate. Surgery was the only option. 

As Murray admits, it was a difficult and arduous process, both physically and mentally. But, 11 months later, he believes that now is the time to return. Murray will make his long-awaited comeback at home at the Fever Tree Championships in London.

"It has been hard," Murray told the assembled press at The Queen's Club on Sunday. "I came back quicker from my back surgery [in 2013]. I was playing four months later. But my back didn't feel perfect for a good nine months after I came back. I spoke a lot about that at the time. 

"It took me quite a lot of time until I felt good again, and it's the same here. I'm not pain free but I don't expect that either. I've had an issue with my hip for about eight years now. I've been seeing a hip specialist in Australia for a long time. It's not perfect, but I'd like to get back to the level where I'm able to compete again. That's what I'm hoping I'm getting to."

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As dramatic as Murray's ascent to No. 1 was at the conclusion of the 2016 season, he admits that the chronic ailment and subsequent surgery was a humbling experience. The Dunblane native, who rocketed past Novak Djokovic to take the Nitto ATP Finals title and secure the year-end No. 1 mantle on the final day of the season, was at the pinnacle of the ATP World Tour.

But despite his impressive accomplishments, Murray says that his failure to swiftly recover from the injury had him greatly worried. It was a trying time for the right-hander. Patience was truly a virtue.

"I was very concerned," Murray added. "Even now, when you've not played for such a long time, you're naturally going to have doubts. You don't know how you're going to feel until you start competing and playing again. Whether I started now or three weeks ago or in five weeks time, those doubts are will be the same. 

"Going through rehab is difficult. Sometimes it can go smoothly, but I obviously had the surgery and it can be a bit trickier. There were periods during the rehab when I felt ok and you try to increase the amount of load you're trying to be doing. 

"The body doesn't respond as well and it's about finding the sweet spot with what you're capable of doing in each period. Everybody responds differently and it's about going through each stage and trying to be guided by your body and the people around you. Hopefully you make the right decisions.

"But I decided I needed to slow things down. It's not like a re-injured my hip. I was not responding as well when I went back on the court. It's your body telling you to slow down a bit. It's what you have to be guided by. You listen to what the doctors say and try to progress under their recommendations. That's when you have to be smart and hopefully slow down and get back in the gym and do the rehab."

If Murray is looking for a straightforward match as he returns to competitive action, he won't find it at The Queen's Club. His opening task comes in the form of the electric Nick Kyrgios, who is on a roll after reaching the semi-finals at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart this week.

Murray owns a 5-0 advantage in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with their most recent meeting coming on the grass of Wimbledon in 2016. But while he might own a perfect record against the Aussie, he knows it will be a completely different match when the pair step on court on Tuesday.

"It's obviously a very difficult match, because when his mind is on it, he's one of the best grass-court players in the world. The way he serves and how he can play every shot, you'd think there won't be loads of long rallies. But for your body, there's a lot of quick points so there are positives and negatives there."

Having claimed a record five titles, the Fever Tree Championships is a strong choice for Murray to make his comeback debut. Unseeded and down to No. 157 in the ATP Rankings, a tall order awaits the Scot with in-form countryman Kyle Edmund, fourth seed David Goffin and Sunday's Stuttgart finalist Milos Raonic also in his quarter of the draw. 

But as Murray admits, he is only focused on what he can control in the moment. There is no looking ahead and no expectations as he kicks off his comeback.

"I've missed playing, I've missed competing. I haven't fallen out of shape and ballooned in weight and gone off the rails. I've tried to do the right thing and listen to my team and everyone around me, to try to get on the court and start competing. I have absolutely zero expections and just take time. I would love to get back to the top of the game again, but I just want to start playing again and feel good.

"I haven't played a match for 11 months. I don't know how I'm going to feel when I do start competing and play a bunch of matches in the space of a few days. I'm going to have to be smart with scheduling initially and make sure I'm not overplaying. I made quite a few big changes in terms of the amount of time I'm spending on the court training and the way I'm doing it. Just to take a load off the body. I've put a lot of stress on it over the years. And when I'm competing, it's another stage in the rehab. There's not guarantees how you'll feel after a match. I'll get a better idea after Tuesday."