Andy Murray to play at Eastbourne as he continues return from injury ahead of Wimbledon

Andy Murray will continue his return from injury by competing in Eastbourne next week.

The former world No1 made his return from nearly a year out with a hip injury at this week’s Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s Club.

He lost in three sets to world No24 Nick Kyrgios and said after the match that all options were available from playing Eastbourne as a pre-Wimbledon warm-up to missing Wimbledon altogether.

But on Friday he announced he would be lining up at the Nature Valley International at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park to further test out his hip before committing to Wimbledon.

He joins the man who has usurped him as British No1, Kyle Edmund, in the starting line-up although with three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, who has himself been plotting his own comeback from surgery – in his case on his knee – this season.

Murray had described his return to action in London after a 342-day lay-off from competition as emotional.

“It’s obviously been such a long time and I was really looking forward to playing a match,” he said. “And I was emotional before the match. Emotions got in the way a little bit there but it was a good experience.”

Murray has been practising with an array of players, notably Edmund and fellow Briton Cameron Norrie, and has clearly come through his return relatively unscathed to be able to commit to Eastbourne.