Andy Murray puts rest on pause after winning return

Most of the world’s leading players have returned to competition this week following an end-of-year break, but for Andy Murray the end of his 2015 season has rolled almost seamlessly into his 2016 campaign.

The world No 2, who was back on court here Monday in the Hopman Cup mixed-team event just 36 days after securing Britain’s historic Davis Cup victory, said he would regard February as his off-season. With his wife, Kim, due to give birth next month, Murray plans to take a break immediately after the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne in 13 days’ time.

For the moment, business is business. Murray won his first match of 2016 in style, crushing the world No 148, Kenny de Schepper, 6-2, 6-2 in 59 minutes before returning to the court for a deciding mixed doubles alongside Heather Watson, who had lost her opening singles to Caroline Garcia 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. Murray and Watson beat De Schepper and Garcia 6-2, 5-7, 10-6 to give Britain victory over France in their first round-robin tie of the week.

Murray has just had the sort of winter break that only a workaholic would contemplate. Before Christmas he went to Dubai, where he played in the International Premier Tennis League and trained with his coach, Amélie Mauresmo, for the first time since the birth of her first child in August.

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On the day after picking up his award as the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year, Murray was back on court with Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, having invited the world No 38 to train with him at Wimbledon. Although Murray did not hit any balls on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, he was still doing some physical work. The Scot has been practising here for more than a week.

“February will really be my off-season,” he said. “That’s how I planned it after the Davis Cup because of the way the year finished for me and with everything coming up.”

There were times in his opening match when Murray appeared in some physical discomfort, but it was just a legacy of his recent hard work. “The first week of the year people think you come in well rested, but in fact it’s a little bit the opposite,” he said.

“You train very hard in the off-season and then when you come to the match court you are moving that little bit quicker, the intensity is that little bit higher and things are a bit stiff and sore. Often I think the first match back after a little break is the toughest one, physically.”

Murray, who returned De Schepper’s booming serves in confident fashion and regularly finished off points at the net, was particularly pleased with his performance given that he had not been playing well in practice here.

“I’d been really struggling,” he said. “I don’t know exactly why that is. But then you get on the match court and it’s different. I never play my best tennis in practice, which is good. It’s better to have it that way round rather than to play great in practice and struggle in the matches.

“I practised hard and I got used to the warm weather. I think it’s really important for me anyway to get here early and get used to that because it can be brutal. I feel good.”

Watson, who fought back from a set and a break down in her singles and played with growing confidence in the doubles, was named in an initial six-strong British squad alongside Johanna Konta, Laura Robson, Katie Swan and the doubles team of Joss Rae and Anna Smith for next month’s Fed Cup zonal matches in Israel. Judy Murray, Britain’s Fed Cup captain, is coaching Watson on an interim basis following the world No 55’s split with Diego Veronelli.

Serena Williams withdrew from the United States’ opening match against Ukraine because of a sore left knee but hopes to be fit to play today.

Britain’s Kyle Edmund, who won two matches in qualifying to reach the main draw of the Qatar Open in Doha, maintained his fine start to the season by beating Martin Klizan 6-2, 6-3.