The exhibition is in its 32nd year, and features the likes of Murray, Taylor Fritz and Marin Cilic in Melbourne prior to the Australian Open beginning next week.

Murray took on Zhang, who is the first Chinese male player to reach the top 100 in the open era, and started on the back foot going 5-0 down.

The 35-year-old lost the first set, but battled back in classic fashion, to pick up his first victory of the 2023 season. Murray lost his opening match of the year last week at the Adelaide International, against eventual runner-up Sebastian Korda.

As is often the case these days, having had hip surgery in 2018 and 2019, Murray reflected on how he was feeling physically after the match, “I’ve been healthy the last seven months. I’m not awakening with aches and pains like in the last few years.”

“As long as the body holds up well and I’m training properly and performing to a level I’m enjoying, then I will keep going. But I don’t have a timeframe (for retirement).”

It is not the only exhibition Murray featured in today, as he also took part in the Tennis Plays for Peace charity event in support for Ukraine, amid the ongoing war. The event featured some of the biggest names in tennis including Rafael Nadal, Maria Sakkari and Alexander Zverev.

Murray partnered with Coco Gauff in a fun game of ‘tennis dingles’, which combines singles and doubles, against Zverev and Frances Tiafoe.

The team we never knew we needed 😍@andy_murray 🤝 @CocoGauff

🎥 @AustralianOpen

pic.twitter.com/M0owMAfqj8

— LTA (@the_LTA) January 11, 2023

Murray has been very proactive in his support for Ukraine, donating over £500,000 of his prize-money from 2022 to UNICEF, for which he received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award.

The No.49 will feature in the Kooyong Classic again tomorrow, this time against Aussie Alex De Minaur, before finding out who his first round opponent will be in the Australian Open at 4am GMT.