Andy Murray accepted a Nature Valley International Wildcard wildcard as he continues his comeback after a hip injury that kept him out of action for almost a year. Murray suffered a loss in three sets as he returned on Tuesday to face Nick Kyrgios at Queens. After the match the three-time Grand Slam, 31-year-old champion said he was unsure of what would be the best way forward in his return. The Scot remained positive and said it was good to be back at Queens and that he was hoping to build on that in the next week.

Wimbledon starts on the 2nd of July and therefore the Nature Valley International held at Eastbourne is the final warm-up event available to Murray. He had surgery on his hip in January, and the former number one in the world has since moved the 156th on the rankings list. Before slipping to defeat, Murray was on the court for well over two-and-a-half hours in his match against Kyrgios. He is now looking forward to the opportunity to get more time on the grass courts.

Stan Wawrinka Also Accepted A Wildcard into Nature Valley International

Murray played in 2010 in the Davis Cup at Eastbourne and already knows that the facilities, as well as the courts, are excellent. Another former world number three has also accepted a wildcard into the events after suffering an injury, which is Stan Wawrinka. In the women’s event featuring Heather Watson and Johanna Konta, the top seed is Caroline Wozniacki the Australian Open Champion.

Murray to Experience the Competition Heat Once More Before Wimbledon.

According to BBC’s Russell Fuller, Andy Murray could have decided to play in one of the Wimbledon exhibition events, although he opted to accept the wildcard and play at Eastbourne. By playing in the Nature Valley International, Murray can look forward to playing a considerably weaker field. The top 20 players in the line-up are Diego Schwartzman and Kyle Edmund only, although all players who received entry are inside the top 60 of the world.

During the 2-hour 39-minute match against Kyrgios, Murray mentioned some stiffness in his lower back. He was positive that he could play the Nature Valley International at Eastbourne, but not yet at Wimbledon as in his opinion, five-set matches will be detrimental at this stage of his recovery.

Murray told reporters that Tuesday was an emotional day for him as he waited eleven months to return to the action, after losing to the Australian player Nick Kyrgios. Murray gives his recovery priority and has learned that taking care of his body comes first, and he has decided to do whatever it takes to look after his body to ensure a speedy and complete recovery.