Andy Murray will be among the first arrivals for the Brisbane International

Returning to the circuit after a 2018 season ruined by injury, Andy Murray will be among the early arrivals in the airlift of tennis stars for the Brisbane International.

Murray is eager to kickstart his comeback. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP)

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Andy Murray will be among the early arrivals in the airlift of tennis stars for the Brisbane International, which starts on Monday week.

Murray has been training in Florida ahead of his return to the circuit after a 2018 season ruined by a slow recovery from hip surgery.

Scotland’s dual Wimbledon champion said earlier this month he will arrive in Brisbane several days before the December 31 tournament starts.

Murray managed only six tournaments of his comeback from hip surgery, curtailing his schedule in order to undertake strength and conditioning work.

In his last event of the year at Shenzhen, China, he posted a heartening win over world No.11 David Goffin.

Murray is eager to kickstart his comeback. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP)

“I’m planning to get to Brisbane pretty early, probably a week before the start of the tournament,’’ Murray said in a social media post.

The 31-year-old gets into the Brisbane main draw on the basis of his injury-protected ranking of No.2.

But under ATP rules it does not guarantee him a seeding, so he could be drawn against one of the eight seeds, including Rafael Nadal and Australians Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios, in the early rounds at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Murray has trained in Miami, as he did last year, with hitting partners including former top-10 player Fernando Verdasco and he previously worked with American Bill Knowles, a fitness specialist who has on his list of past clients Tiger Woods and England rugby union champion Jonny Wilkinson.

It has been a challenging year for the Scot. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

As was the case in 2018, the Scot’s recovery will be best judged by tournament wear-and-tear, and Brisbane is scheduled to be his only tournament before the Australian Open.

Murray has not entered any event before arriving in Brisbane, while Nadal has entered an Abu Dhabi exhibition on December 28-29 before he travels on from the Middle East.

Video posted by Nadal’s academy this week of the world No.2 hitting augurs well for his recovery from knee and ankle injuries which curtailed his season two tournaments early.

WHAT A TEAM 🔝💥@RafaelNadal + @pedrovives01 & @Charlymoya 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/eyfae9ao3y

— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) December 17, 2018

Two more Brisbane seeds, Grand Slam finalists Kei Nishikori, ranked ninth, and Milos Raonic, ranked No.18, will play a three-day exhibition in Hawaii which starts on Friday.

Both Nadal (knee) and Murray (hip) withdrew in the last few days before the 2018 Brisbane International.

They are aiming to make good on what would be a second appearance for Nadal at the event and a third for Murray, a dual champion at Pat Rafter Arena.

Both members of the longstanding “Big Four’’ of men’s tennis need to reach tournament-ready levels of performance through 2019 without playing too much, especially on hardcourts.