Former world No 1 Andy Murray has arrived in Abu Dhabi for an extended stopover and took to the courts at the International Tennis Stadium at Zayed Sports City on Thursday to get in some practice. Murray, 30, a regular visitor to the capital this time of the year to take part in the annual Mubadala World Tennis Championship, where he has twice been crowned champion, is not part of the tournament's main draw. The three-time grand slam champion missed the final six months of 2017 with a hip injury and it is understood the Scot viewed Abu Dhabi as the perfect layover en route to Australia, where he is scheduled to play the Brisbane International starting January 4, to cram in some warm weather training. The quarter-finals of the <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/sport/tennis/lowdown-and-predictions-mubadala-world-tennis-championship-day-1-1.691083">Mubadala World Tennis Championship get under way on Thursday</a> with Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta taking on South Africa's Kevin Anderson at 5pm before Andrey Rublev of Russia faces another Spaniard, Roberto Bautista Agut, in the second match from 7pm. Another former world No 1 returning from injury, 12-time major winner Novak Djokovic, is on court on Friday having been given a bye to the semi-finals, <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/sport/tennis/dominic-thiem-backs-novak-djokovic-to-emulate-nadal-and-federer-by-returning-to-the-top-after-injury-1.690918">as has world No 5 Dominic Thiem</a>. <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/sport/tennis/serena-williams-returns-to-action-against-jelena-ostapenko-at-mubadala-world-tennis-championship-1.690152">Serena Williams is due to make her return to tennis after taking time off to have her first child in an exhibition match on Saturday</a>, the day of the men's final, against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. <strong>______________________</strong> <strong>Read more on MWTC:</strong> <strong>______________________</strong>
