Andy Murray has completed a remarkable return to tennis after winning the doubles at Queen’s alongside Feliciano Lopez.

Murray was close to retiring five months ago due to a hip injury that left him struggling to walk without pain, let alone play tennis.

The Scot, who played with a new metal hip, has strolled off with silverware at his first attempt since returning to the sport.

The former world number one and Lopez – the latter “fresh” from winning the singles title less than an hour earlier – beat Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram of the United States 7-6 (6) 5-7 10-5 after a third-set match tie-break.

Murray told BBC Sport after the match: “It’s been brilliant and I’ve really enjoyed it.

“I felt really relaxed at the beginning of the week and as it’s gone on I was getting more and more nervous as my competitive instincts were kicking in with each match.

“But my hip felt great and there’s no pain and obviously I will try to keep progressing from here but I am just happy to be back out on the grass.”

Paying tribute to Lopez, Murray added: “He was brilliant, there’s nothing else to say.

“It was an amazing win in the singles and at the end of the match here he came out with some amazing serves and returns and he did so good and I’m very happy for him.”

Murray had insisted after their first-round victory that winning was not his number one priority this week.

It was only a few months ago that he had tearfully announced the Australian Open could be his last tournament.

His appearance at the Queen’s Club Championships was supposed to be a tentative comeback with a view to gradually building up to a return to singles.

But the three-time grand slam champion has clearly not lost his appetite for a battle.

The fledgling partnership were 5-1 down in a first-set tie-break but fought back to level, and took it when Ram pushed a forehand wide.

The second set went the way of Salisbury and Ram after Murray dropped a serve, and like so many matches during Murray’s career, it went to the wire.

Lopez, who must have been running on empty, somehow conjured up a series of stunning winners in the match tie-break to secure his own personal double and an unlikely, but welcome, victory for Murray.

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