Djokovic comeback match set

Former world No.1 Novak Djokovic will face Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in his comeback match in Abu Dhabi.

Bautista Agut, ranked 20th, defeated young Russian Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.

Djokovic has not played a match since shutting down his season following his quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon because of an ongoing elbow injury.

The former world No.1, who has slipped to 12th in the world rankings, should face a good test of his level against Bautista Agut, one of the grittiest competitors on tour.

The other semifinal will pit fifth-ranked Dominic Thiem against Kevin Anderson, who secured a repeat of his US Open semifinal victory over Pablo Carreno Busta, beating the Spaniard 6-3 7-6(2).

Meanwhile, Andy Murray held his first practice session at Zayed Sports City after flying out to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is working his way back from hip problems that, like Djokovic, have sidelined him since Wimbledon.

MURRAY: Fitness more important than rankings

Murray is due to make his comeback at next week’s Brisbane International but aborted his plans to head to Australia early and looks set to test his fitness by practising against some of the world’s best. Coach Jamie Delgado was Murray’s practice partner on Thursday during a relatively gentle session lasting nearly an hour and a half.