SHENZHEN, September 22, 2018

The Shenzhen Open is one of four ATP World Tour events taking place in China over the next couple of weeks. Inaugural champion Andy Murray and defending champion David Goffin return to the major city in Guangdong Province for the tournament’s fifth edition.

Shenzhen marks the sixth event and 10th match of Murray’s comeback from right hip surgery. The former World No. 1 is 5-4 with several setbacks following an 11-month hiatus. Since returning in June, Murray withdrew from Wimbledon, declined a wild card from Toronto and did not play his quarterfinal in Washington following three straight three-set wins.

“I’m not quite back where I want to be just yet, but I’m improving each week. Hopefully I can play some good tennis and get on a bit of a run here,” Murray was quoted on the official website of the ATP 250 event.

The current World No. 308 is playing in Shenzhen and Beijing, but not at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. “Playing three weeks in a row is difficult for me. I want to spend a lot of time away from the competition training between now and the end of the year so I can build up my conditioning,” Murray said.

The 31-year-old Briton will open his campaign in Shenzhen against fellow wild card entry Zhizhen Zhang of China. A win will see Murray taking on David Goffin in the second round. The top seed from Belgium enjoys a first round bye.

Murray was also a wild card at the 2014 Shenzhen Open, winning his first title of the season in spectacular fashion. The Scot saved five championship points to defeat Spaniard Tommy Robredo. Four weeks later, Murray saved five match points to edge Robredo in the final of the Valencia Open.