Andy Murray has revealed that practice sessions against "top" players have been going well ahead of his return to singles action.
The 32-year-old is set to play Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the Cincinnati Masters on Monday in his first singles match since undergoing hip resurfacing surgery after the Australian Open in January.
Murray feared the debilitating pain would force him to retire, but having returned to play doubles in June, the three-time Grand Slam champion is now taking the next step in his comeback.
"The performances against top singles players in practices have been good," Murray told the ATP Tour. "But at some stage, you have to take the step to try and play. The quickest way to get up to speed is by being on the practice and match court with top players."
"I'm not expecting to move as well I used to, but I think I can move better than I am now. That will take some time since I only started playing singles a couple of weeks ago.
"When you're playing at the highest level against the best players, they hit the ball big and that takes some time to get used to."
Murray's ranking has dropped to No 325 in his absence, meaning he could face some tough challenges early on his return.
The Scot has yet to confirm whether he will return to the scene of his first Grand Slam victory for the US Open later this month, but has said he will play at two tournaments in China in September.
"You realise getting back to singles is a hard thing to do because you're at the mercy of the draws a lot of the time," Murray said.
"I'll just deal with it as it comes, but hopefully it makes for some exciting early rounds."