Andy Murray to play at Shenzhen Open in September

Andy Murray is to play in the Shenzhen Open. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire

Murray is currently on the comeback trail from hip surgery in January and hopes to return to action for the grass-court season this month.

His long rehabilitation has picked up pace this week after getting back on the practice courts following a setback, but he was forced to pull out of next week’s Libema Open in s’Hertogenbosch, which was his scheduled return to the tour.

The two-time Wimbledon champion will make a decision about whether he will play at Queen’s next week, which will likely have a huge bearing on whether he competes at SW19 - the scene of his last competitive match in July 2017.

Whatever happens in the British summer, Murray is hoping to have been long back in competitive action by the time of the Shenzhen Open, having already committed to playing the American hard-court swing in the build-up to the US Open.

On his entry to the tournament in China, which precedes the Beijing Open and Shanghai Masters and where Murray won on his only previous visit in 2014, the Scot said: “I look forward to returning to Shenzhen to play at this year’s Shenzhen Open.

“I enjoy playing in China and I always appreciate the crowd support out there. I have some great memories from the last time I played, especially the final, so hopefully I will have a good run this year.”

Tournament director Leon Sun added: “Andy is one of the all-time greats of the game.

“He has achieved almost everything there is to achieve in the sport. It will be a great opportunity for the Shenzhen fans to see him play in person and we look forward to welcoming him to Shenzhen.”