Andy Murray to play in Rafa Nadal Open days after X-rated rant at coaching team as comeback trail continues
ANDY MURRAY will play his first Challenger Tour event for 14 years after accepting a wild card for next week's Rafa Nadal Open.
The Brit, 32, is continuing his recovery to full fitness after hip-resurfacing surgery in January.
And he is heading to Nadal's home town of Manacor on the island of Majorca next week to compete, with tickets free for fans.
Murray last played a Challenger Tour tournament in Mons, Belgium way back in 2005, the year he turned professional.
The Rafa Nadal Open gets underway on Monday.
That is the same day the US Open - the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year - which is why the tournament's host Nadal will not be involved.
Murray ruled himself out of featuring at Flushing Meadows - the first major he won, back in 2012, as he is not yet ready to compete at that level.
He is, though, hoping to be back in Grand Slam singles action come January for the Australian Open, where he has reached the final five times.
As well as five doubles tournaments, Murray has played two ATP Tour singles events since the surgery, losing both matches.
He lost to Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati and then was dumped out by Tennys Sandgren in Winston-Salem on Monday.
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The second of those defeats - when he went down 7-6 7-5 to American world No73 Sandgren - was marred by Murray's X-rated rant at his own box.
After wasting a set point in the first-set tie-breaker, the Brit sat on his chair and raged: “F***ing no one in this team ever wants to say anything when there’s something wrong, never.
“Everything is perfect all the f***ing time. Kills me. F***ing joke.”
