Andy Murray will bid for his third AEGON Championships title at Queen’s Club this summer after confirming his participation in the Wimbledon warm-up event.
The 25-year-old became the first home winner of the tournament since 1938 in 2009 and won the grass-court title again two years later.
Murray will return to the west London venue on June 10 as a grand slam winner for the first time after ending another long wait for British tennis at the US Open last year.
It is eight years since the Scot won his first ATP World Tour match at Queen’s Club as an 18-year-old, beating Spain’s Santiago Ventura.
“I’ll never forget winning the first ATP match of my career at Queen’s Club,” Murray said.
“I was only 18 at the time and then went on to have a great match with Thomas Johansson, who was in the top 20 at the time, a couple of rounds later.
“They get big crowds who know their tennis and tournament director Chris Kermode and the organisers do a great job.
“The grass courts are as good as anywhere in the world, which is perfect coming a week before Wimbledon. I’ve won the title twice before and I’d love to win it again this year.”
Murray may well have beaten Johansson but for struggles with cramp, and the Swede knew he was facing a star of the future.
Johansson said: “In that match he showed that, even at 18, he was for sure a top-20 player of the future, but he was still a young man.
“Now he has matured and become one of the fittest guys out there. He is a brilliant player and he will win many more grand slam tournaments in the future.”