Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal tipped to show at Brisbane International despite injury worries

BRISBANE International organisers are confident there will be impending arrivals from Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to dispel injury fears and headline the tournament next week.

Doubts were raised this week over Andy Murray’s participation in Brisbane.

BRISBANE International organisers are confident there will be impending arrivals from Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to dispel injury fears and headline the tournament next week.

Reports casting doubt over Nadal’s recovery from right knee soreness started last week when the world No. 1 pulled out of an exhibition in Abu Dhabi this week and took at least four days off practice.

With Christmas over, Murray will resume practising in London for a day or two before flying out to Brisbane, where he will play his first tournament since July and test the recovery of a hip complaint in match conditions.

Doubts were raised this week over Andy Murray’s participation in Brisbane.

Brisbane tournament organisers expect the current and former world No. 1s to be in Brisbane in good time for their first matches at the Brisbane International.

Nadal and Murray would not play before Wednesday because they have first-round byes as two of the top-four seeds.

“I expect Rafa and Andy to arrive in Brisbane to start the 2018 year,” tournament director

Cameron Pearson said on Wednesday night.

“That’s what our communication with both teams of the players has been over the past few days. Nothing has really changed.’’

Not taking into account other factors, Murray, 30, would appear to be the more vulnerable of the two men to an early-round loss at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Nadal, 31, played seven tournaments after Murray dropped the curtain on his season, including his triumphant US Open run.

Rafael Nadal pulled out of an exhibition in Abu Dhabi this week

Murray’s hip complaint will be a challenge to manage this year and a former Wimbledon champion, Pat Cash, admits he wonders why the tough Scot wants to put his body through another year of punishment given his accomplishments.

Cash played professionally to the age of 32 but had several injuries sideline him after he won Wimbledon at 22.

“It’s a mystery to me why Murray does not just hang his racquet up and enjoy life. He must love it,” Cash told London’s Daily Express.

“You have your long-term health to think of. My hip is gone, my back is gone. I can play a bit of doubles but there are very few tennis players who get away with not having to limp around for the latter part of their life.

“I felt I still had something to give but I just could not get going. Some guys fade away because they are sick of it, some guys get injured.’’

Like Nadal, the 2016 Brisbane champion Milos Raonic pulled out of the Abu Dhabi exhibition, but is expected to be ready for his first-round match.

Raonic, who dropped from the top-five to No. 24 in the rankings over a year cruelled by wrist surgery and ended by a calf injury, set himself up for training last week in Melbourne.

Nick Kyrgios, the prospective fourth seed, returned to training at the QTC on Boxing Day after having Christmas off in Canberra and practised again there yesterday.

Kyrgios has trained with his regular doubles partner Matt Reid and had the welcome training assistance of a four-day Davis Cup camp early this month.

Originally published as Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal tipped to show at Brisbane International despite injury worries