ANDY MURRAY revealed he had lost his enjoyment of tennis after ending last season with a disastrous defeat at the Paris Masters.
But the British star has confirmed he is ready to return to the court ahead of the Australian Open in the new year.
EPAAndy Murray admitted he was ‘not really enjoying’ playing after the Paris Masters in October[/caption]
GettyMurray is ready to return to the court ahead of the Australian Open in January[/caption]
Murray, 36, faced a miserable opening-round loss against Australian Alex de Minaur in October.
He admitted after the defeat: “I am not really enjoying in terms of how I feel on the court and how I’m playing.”
The former world No1 feared his career was over after the 2019 Australian Open after suffering from a hip injury.
But fans can be assured the Scotsman will be heading to Melbourne with no plans of retiring anytime soon.
Excited for the upcoming championship Murray said: “I’m pumped. I always find I play some of my best tennis here, so I’m always excited to get going.
“The body is old but I still love it. I’m still loving the training and the travel and everything.
“It’s a little bit tougher now being away when you have a young family.
“But I feel good enough to compete with the best players in the world and I’ll keep playing until I don’t feel like I can do that anymore.”
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The five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park arrived in Queensland ahead of the tournament which begins on January 14.
Ranked 42nd in the world, Murray reached the third round in Melbourne last January – his best Grand Slam performance of the year.
He continued: “It was probably the most positive part of the year for me, that I was able to compete most weeks.
“I had a little injury around the US Open time but apart from that it was really good.
“So long as I’m healthy, it makes it a lot more enjoyable to be out on the court.
“When you have lots of injuries, the rehab is a lot harder now than when I was younger, so hopefully I can stay fit.”
With the season set to begin on Friday in Australia Murray will be joined down under by fellow Brits Cam Norrie, Katie Boulter and Neal Skupski.
Rafael Nadal will make his long-awaited return to the court at the Brisbane International this weekend after undergoing hip surgery earlier this year.
And Emma Raducanu will be back in Auckland for ASB Classic which will begin on January 8.