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Andy Murray will return to action next week at the Surbiton Trophy having skipped the French Open to focus on his Wimbledon preparations.

As expected, the former world No 1 has taken a wild card into the second-tier Challenger event, which always attracts a strong field.

Murray played at the event last year for the first time since 2004, losing in the semi-finals to Denis Kudla.

Murray said: “The LTA’s Lexus Surbiton Trophy is a great way for me to start my grass-court season. It’s nice to play somewhere that has the feel of a traditional club and I’m hoping to get some good matches and practice in there during the week in front of the British fans.”

Dan Evans is a more surprise inclusion having said following his first-round defeat in Paris to Thanasi Kokkinakis that he would not be seeking a Surbiton wild card.

Brits Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Katie Boulter, Katie Swan and Heather Watson will also be competing at Surbiton from June 5-11.

Evans will also headline the Challenger event in Nottingham the following week, when Murray is more likely to play at the ATP tournament in Stuttgart, where he reached the final last year.

Evans said: “I have some great memories of playing at the LTA’s Nottingham Tennis Centre. The courts there are excellent and it’s a place I feel very much at home competing at.”

Venus Williams, meanwhile, will make her return to the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham having played there for the first time in 2019.

The 42-year-old has not played a tournament since January but is giving the grass another go and will return to action in the Netherlands at the Libema Open beginning on June 12.