Murray pursues singles comeback at Challenger Tour

PARIS: Former number one Andy Murray is set to compete in his first Challenger Tour in 14 years at Rafael Nadal’s ATP Open in Manacor, Spain.

The tournament will be held at the Rafael Nadal tennis academy on the island of Mallorca starting Monday. The Scotsman has confirmed he will skip playing doubles at the US Open to focus on his singles game in Spain and to build up his confidence.

After undergoing hip surgery in January following his first round exit from the Australian Open, Murray began easing his way back into the game by playing doubles, starting at Queens in June.

However, he opted to drop doubles and focus on a return to singles earlier this month and was beaten in straight sets by Richard Gasquet in Cincinatti. This was his first singles match since an opening-round Australian Open exit in January.

He then lost to American Tennys Sandgren in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open last week. The three-time grand slam champion has now decided to step down to the second tier for the first time since 2005, when he played in the Challenger event in Mons as an 18-year-old. Nadal will not be present at his own event as it clashes with the US Open.