Andy Murray has been given a wildcard for the main draw of the Australian Open in January.
The 34-year-old Briton missed the 2021 tournament after he was not allowed to travel to Melbourne following a positive test for coronavirus.
The five-time Australian Open runner-up last played at the event in 2019 when he thought it might be his last match as a professional because of injury.
“I’m really excited to be back playing at the Australian Open,” said Murray.
“I’ve had some great times in Australia playing in front of the amazing crowds and I can’t wait to step back out on court at Melbourne Park.”
Tournament director Craig Tiley added: “Andy is renowned for his fighting spirit, passion and love of the game and I’m delighted to welcome him back to Melbourne in January.”
Australian Open organisers are still unsure if defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic will play at next month’s Grand Slam.
Serbia’s Djokovic, 34, has not spoken publicly about his vaccination status.
All players and staff at the Australian Open must be vaccinated or have a medical exemption granted by an independent panel of experts.
“If Novak shows up, he’ll be vaccinated or have a medical exemption,” said tournament director Craig Tiley.
However, Tiley is confident Spain’s Rafael Nadal will be there despite testing positive for Covid-19 this week.
The Australian Open starts in Melbourne on 17 January, with players starting to arrive in the country over the next week for warm-up events.
Djokovic, who would be going for a record 21st men’s Grand Slam title and 10th Australian Open title, is down on the entry list.
He is also named in the field to play for Serbia in the ATP Cup, which starts in Sydney on 1 January.
Tiley said “a small percentage” of unvaccinated players and staff would be granted medical exemptions.
He said he was not aware of any players informing organisers they had an exemption.–BBC
