Kim Clijsters, 38, is also among the recipients of a wildcard as she continues her own comeback in the sport; Andy Murray makes his first appearance since 2017 at the prestigious California tournament

Andy Murray has received a wild card for the Indian Wells peloton.

Britain’s three-time Grand Slam winner, currently ranked 109th in the world, will make his first appearance at the prestigious Californian tournament since 2017.

Murray reached the quarter-finals at the Moselle Open in Metz last week, his best seven-tournament result since June after having been on the sidelines for a long time in recent years due to a hip replacement and a number of other injuries.

The 34-year-old will face second seeded Casper Ruud in the first sixteen of the San Diego Open in the early hours of the morning on Thursday.

Kim Clijsters, a former world number 1 and four-time Grand Slam winner, also receives a wild card as she continues her own comeback in the sport.

Belgian-born Clijsters, who was beaten in her first appearance in 2021 at the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic this week, said Murray’s persistence in his recovery from hip surgery served as motivation for the 38-year-old mother of three.

The tournament, one of the largest outside of the Grand Slams, will take place from October 4th to 17th after being postponed from the usual March date due to the coronavirus pandemic.

British rider Emma Raducanu will return to the tour for the first time since her US Open title after receiving a wild card for the peloton earlier this week in Indian Wells.

World number 1 Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty have both withdrawn from the combined Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event.

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