Andy Murray returns to the Australian Open in the early hours of Tuesday morning in a first-round match against Nikoloz Basilashvili, three years on from his last appearance in Melbourne.
Murray, a five-time Australian Open finalist, looked to be playing the final match of his career when he lost in five sets to Roberto Bautista Agut in 2019, but the former world No 1 has battled through injury setbacks to be handed a wildcard for the first major of the year.
The 34-year-old is coming off only his second ATP final appearance since 2017 at the Sydney Tennis Classic, where he was boosted by a second-round victory over world No 23 Basilashvili, who he defeated in three sets.
Murray was beaten by Aslan Karatsev in the Sydney final but arrives in Melbourne with genuine hopes of making a run on his return to the tournament. “I want to try and win tournaments again,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m still playing, because I believe I can still do that.”
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.
What time is Murray playing?
Murray’s match is scheduled to be third up on John Cain Arena and will not start until at least 4am GMT on Tuesday morning.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown live and on demand in the UK on discovery+. You can stream the match live by purchasing the discovery+ Entertainment & Sport plan, which is available for £6.99 a month.
When are the other British players playing (GMT)?
Emma Raducanu vs Sloane Stephens - not before 8am
Liam Broady vs Nick Kyrgios - not before 8am
Iga Swiatek (7) vs Harriet Dart - after 12am, second on Rod Laver
Heather Watson vs Mayar Sherif - after 12 am, third on Court 8
Dan Evans (24)vs David Goffin - after 12am, third on Court 13
What has Murray said?
“Some people want to stop when they have a great result, or they want to stop at their home tournament, or they just don’t enjoy traveling, or they have different priorities.
“For me, it, you know, is becoming harder, like leaving the family. Obviously, if I had another injury again which was going to be like a long rehab, or something happened to the hip, that’d be the end.
“Physically, now I’m in a pretty good place. Making the final last week was really good for me. And we’ll see what happens here.”
Odds
Murray - 8/15
Basilashvili - 6/4
