 Murray's last match was his Wimbledon semi-final defeat by Andy Roddick |
Andy Murray will return to action for the first time since Wimbledon against either Yen-hsun Lu or Jeremy Chardy at next week's Rogers Cup in Montreal. The Briton, 22, is seeded third for the Masters 1000 event and so has a bye in the first round. World number one Roger Federer has confirmed that he too will return in Montreal, having becoming a father to twin girls in July. And Rafael Nadal will make his comeback after 10 weeks out with a knee injury. Murray could face Gael Monfils, Marat Safin or Lleyton Hewitt in the third round, with Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Gonzalez, Ivo Karlovic and Tommy Haas in his quarter and Roger Federer a potential semi-final opponent. Federer will open against Igor Kunitsyn or Frederic Niemeyer in round two, while Nadal has been drawn against David Ferrer or Viktor Troicki.  | 606: DEBATE |
There had been widespread speculation that Federer might withdraw from the tournament after his wife, Mirka, only recently gave birth to the couple's first children. Tournament director Eugene Lapierre said: "When I saw the Swiss area code come up on my phone, my heart stopped. We are obviously thrilled and we also have 19 of the top 20 players in the world who have confirmed their participation." Federer, who won a historic 15th Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon, told his website: "After the wonderful experiences over the past days it is my pleasure to inform you that I will be playing in Montreal.  Federer's joy at making tennis history was followed by fatherhood |
"As I was able to find enough time to practise these past weeks, I feel fit and full of energy." Federer, who turned 28 on Saturday, won the Canadian event, which alternates between Montreal and Toronto with a WTA event, in 2004 and 2006. The Rogers Cup will also see the return of world number two and defending champion Nadal after his length lay-off with tendinitis in his knees. The Spaniard has been away from the tour since being beaten by Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the French Open in May - his first-ever defeat at Roland Garros. And Nadal admits he does not know whether he will be back to full fitness in time for the US Open, which starts on 31 August. "I can't tell you if I'll be 100% for the US Open," he told Reuters on Friday. "It depends on many factors but, clearly, I'll work as hard as I can try to be in condition there. But most of all, I want to make sure my knees respond well. "Once I know my knees will respond well, I can train well, I can compete with greater calm and that's what will give me, little by little, the confidence to train at the maximum level."
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