Britain’s Andy Murray fought back from a set down to begin his 2021 season with a win against Maximilian Marterer in the ATP Challenger in Biella, Italy.
The Scot, ruled out of the Australian Open after a positive Covid test, beat Germany’s Marterer 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-3.
It is Murray’s second appearance in the ATP’s second-highest tier in three years, after Mallorca in August 2019.
Murray, 33, faces Gian Marco Moroni in the second round after the Italian beat Russia’s Evgeny Karlovskiy 7-6 6-4.
Murray was unable to find a “workable quarantine” as he was ruled out of the year’s first Grand Slam in Australia, though he was permitted to play in Biella after a quarantine waiver was agreed for players travelling from outside the European Union.
The three-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one played only seven official matches last year because of a pelvic injury and the five-month suspension of the tours caused by the pandemic.
In his first match since October, Murray responded to being edged out in the tie-break at the end of a tight opening set by twice breaking Marterer’s serve to claim the second in 33 minutes and closing out the final set by winning the final three games.
