Former world number one and three-time major winner Andy Murray is all set to make his first Grand Slam appearance since undergoing hip surgery, at Australian Open next year. The tournament organisers confirmed his participation on Tuesday.
Murray, a five-time runner-up at the Melbourne Park, was knocked out of Australian Open 2019 in the first round itself although he had earlier confirmed that this could be his final appearance in the court.
At the end of January, Murray underwent a career-saving hip resurfacing surgery and later made his competitive return in the doubles category at the Queen's Club in June, where he had in fact lifted the title with partner Feliciano Lopez.
"Confirmed: @andy_murray will return to compete at the #AusOpen in 2020," Australian Open organisers tweeted on Tuesday afternoon while also adding in a statement that the Scot will be given a protected ranking of No.2 when he returns to the main draw.
Earlier in the English summer, the 289th-ranked Murray participated in the men's and mixed doubles category in Wimbledon, where he had formed a dream team with Serena Williams in the latter. He made his singles return a few weeks later at the Cincinnati Open. And last week, he had reached the quarterfinals round of China Open in Beijing before losing to top-seeded Dominic Thiem. He is presently part of the ongoing Shanghai Masters where he made a winning start with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 win against Juan Londredo. He will next face Fabio Fognini in the round of 32 on Tuesday.
