Former world No. 1 Andy Murray won in straight sets on his singles return on Tuesday ahead of this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
The two-time Wimbledon champion won in an emotional comeback in his cinch Championship tournament opener against France’ Benoit Paire at the Queen’s Club in London.
Murray beat Paire 6-3, 6-2, winning his first singles match on British soil in three years.
The 34-year-old has struggled to return to his former level since having hip resurfacing surgery in January 2019 with niggling injuries limiting his tournament time.
“The body is old, but I did quite well today in terms of movement and stuff, considering it was my first [singles] match on grass in three years,” Murray said before choking up with emotion as the crowd cheered.
“I love playing tennis and it was great to be out here competing again.”
Murray, now world No. 124, has been handed a wildcard for this summer’s Wimbledon Championships.
The Scot will face a step up in quality when he takes on Berrettini, who came through a tough first-round battle against fellow Italian Stefano Travaglia 7-6(5) 7-6(4).
Elsewhere, Britian’s Dan Evans beat Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, while America’s Frances Tiafoe bested Aljaz Bedene.