Murray will continue comeback against Stan Wawrinka in first round at Eastbourne
Saturday 23 June 2018 15:49, UK
Andy Murray’s long-awaited return from a hip injury is a “great achievement”, says former British No 1 Tim Henman.
The two-time Wimbledon champion played his first match in 11 months against Nick Kyrgios at the Fever-Tree Championships on Tuesday, producing an impressive performance despite eventually losing in three sets.
Murray, who is yet to decide if he will feature at the All England Club next month, will continue his comeback against Stan Wawrinka at the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne, but Henman urged caution on expectations.
"It is way too early to make any predictions about how far Andy can go in the sport again because we just need to see how the hip reacts," Henman, a two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, said.
"To see him out on the court is a great achievement.
"Once we see how he competes, how he moves and how he recovers then we will probably get a look at what the longer term looks like."
The 31-year-old underwent surgery on his hip in January after he aborted an attempt to play at the Australian Open.
Despite the lengthy time on the sidelines, Henman believes Murray remains in the top echelons of the game even though he has fallen to world No 156 in the rankings.
He [Murray] is still one of the best players in the world
"He is still one of the best players in the world," Henman said.
"But obviously the element of risk that I don't know about is the state of his hip. Could he do further damage? How will he be in a best of five-set match [if he elects to play at Wimbledon]?
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer is the pre-tournament favourite after impressing once again on grass to win at Stuttgart and reach a 12th Halle final, but Henman says there are several other contenders in with a realistic chance.
He said: "I think Roger and Rafa [Nadal] are the clear favourites if they are fit and healthy. In the next group you could list a whole host of players.
"You would put Djokovic there, you could put Milos Raonic if he is injury-free. He has got such a dangerous game and been in a Wimbledon final before.
"John Isner has had some of his best results this year, winning in Miami, has got a huge serve. Grigor Dimitrov has played well, is a good athlete and been in the semi-finals before."
We will have the final of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix from 12pm.
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