"I am looking forward to going out and playing but to see him healthy is the main thing, I think he is awesome for the sport."
Tuesday 19 June 2018 10:43, UK
Nick Kyrgios was delighted to be named the opponent for his friend Andy Murray's long-awaited comeback.
Murray will go head to head with Kyrgios in the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen's Club on Tuesday as the Scot returns after 11 months out with a hip injury.
It will be 342 days since Murray last took to court in a competitive match, a Wimbledon quarter-final loss to Sam Querrey.
"I just smiled when I saw the draw," Kyrgios said. "I am excited, one of my better mates on tour.
"It's good to see him back ultimately, I think it has been pretty s****y without him.
"I am looking forward to going out and playing but to see him healthy is the main thing, I think he is awesome for the sport.
"We kept in touch a little bit. But he's a busy man. The last thing he wants is to see me blowing up his phone. Probably can't take me seriously, he probably had a lot to deal with and a lot of decisions to make. It's just good to see him back."
After such a lengthy break from Murray, Kyrgios is not sure what kind of opposition he will be facing.
"I'm going to go out there and play like I always play," he said. "I want to serve big and play big and try and win. You know, I'm going to go out there and do the same thing. If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose.
"I don't really know (what to expect). What I always expect from him. Obviously I know he's going to make a lot of balls. He loves playing on grass.
"I obviously know how he plays."
Murray came through another practice session with Querrey on Monday, on the adjacent court to Kyrgios.
He does not expect to be "pain-free" when he returns to match action and is not putting himself under too much pressure to achieve instant results.
"I absolutely can be back to my best but I am not putting any expectations on myself," said Murray. "I must be patient and that is not going to be easy."
We have tennis coverage from the ATP Tour as we head to Germany for the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, live on Sky Sports Arena all this week.
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