Jamie Murray was thrilled to see brother Andy back playing tennis but has warned he faces a “long road” ahead in his comeback from hip surgery.

The elder Murray continued the defence of his Queen’s Club doubles title with a quarter-final win on Thursday with partner Bruno Soares.

Andy Murray’s return from almost a year out ended in a three-set defeat by Australian Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday.

“It was great to see him back playing,” Jamie Murray told BBC Scotland.

“I didn’t really watch much of the match, I only watched the end.

“But the fact that he looked good on court – it was obviously a weird match playing against Kyrgios – it’s great that he’s back.

“I hope that he pulled up well after the match and feels that he’s ready to get out there again and compete.”

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Andy Murray indicated after his comeback on Tuesday that he could play at next week’s Nature Valley International tournament in Eastbourne, starting on Monday, 25 June, but has yet to confirm if he will play at Wimbledon, starting a week later on 2 July.

“Andy’s obviously a long way from being at his very best,” Jamie Murray added.

“I mean, he’s missed a year of tennis, so it’s going to be a long road for him, I imagine, as it’s been for [Novak] Djokovic and [Stan] Wawrinka, who’ve also missed a lot of tennis.”

‘We all missed him. Tennis missed him’

Jamie Murray and Soares beat Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof 6-3 6-7 10-7 to advance to the semi-finals of the Fever-Tree Championships in the defence of their doubles title.

His Brazilian partner was even more effusive about the younger Murray’s return to the game.

“It’s amazing,” said Soares. “Andy is not only great for the sport, he’s also a great guy so it’s nice to have him around.

“He’s such a well-liked guy, a funny guy; everyone likes him. And you know, it’s good to see the big guys back – Novak [Djokovic], Stan [Wawrinka], Andy.

“I think we all missed him. Tennis missed him. And those guys are so good for the sport and we need everyone healthy and playing on court.”

Murray, 31, showed some encouraging signs in the two-and-a-half hours he was on court against Kyrgios in his first match back following hip surgery.

He had not played competitively since losing in the Wimbledon quarter-finals to American Sam Querrey last July.