Andy Murray warms up with Wayne Rooney ahead of possible Kyle Edmund encounter

It will be Murray's first tournament since deciding not to play at Wimbledon.

Andy Murray
Published 29th Jul 2018

Andy Murray could tackle Kyle Edmund at next week's Citi Open in Washington - where Wayne Rooney has paid the Scot a visit.

The Edmund clash will happen if former Wimbledon champion Murray comes through his opening test. Edmund, who has replaced Murray as British number one, receives a bye to round two.

Murray has been drawn to face American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round as he steps up his recovery from hip surgery.

He took part in the Queen's Club and Eastbourne events earlier in the grass-court season, losing to Edmund at the latter, but a reunion is on the cards on the hard courts of the US capital providing Murray overcomes a player who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon.

That was 23-year-old McDonald's best grand slam performance.

Murray has been warming up for his return in the company of former England football captain Rooney, who joined him on court for a lighthearted session.

Rooney is now Washington-based after leaving Everton to join DC United this summer.

He demonstrated his racket skills before joining in a game of foot tennis, with Jamie Murray also getting in on the action.

''He's obviously had an incredible career, one of the best players ever in English football history,'' said Murray on atpworldtour.com. ''It's nice to finally meet him. I've never met him before, so it's very cool.''

The Scot said of Rooney's tennis skills: ''Forehand was all right, he almost returned a couple serves. But yeah, not bad. Backhand needs a bit of work. He did all right for someone who doesn't play much. It was good.''

Rooney was at Wimbledon in 2013 to see Murray win his second grand slam title with victory over Novak Djokovic.

''It was incredible, a real achievement, and Djokovic at the time looked unbeatable, so it was a great victory and a great experience to be there,'' said Rooney. ''It was the first time I was at Wimbledon, and history for Britain, so it was a fantastic moment to be there.''

Germany's Alexander Zverev is the top seed in Washington, with Wimbledon semi-finalist John Isner also taking part.

Andy Murray is targeting a return to grand slam action at next month's US Open, having missed 11 months of action between last year's Wimbledon and the recent grass-court campaign to get his hip in shape for competition.