Murray to headline Brisbane

British number one Andy Murray will be the top-ranked player at the Brisbane International next month

World number three Murray will be one of five players in the top 20 that uses the event as tune-up ahead of the Australian Open, the others being Milos Raonic (13), Gilles Simon (16), Alexandr Dolgopolov (18) and Kei Nishikori (19). Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt will also form part of the field.

Raonic, the big-serving Canadian youngster, is enjoying a career high and plans on building on his success in 2012 which saw him claim titles in Chennai and San Jose.

"The Brisbane tournament has been an appealing choice to make this time round because I really enjoy being in Australia, it makes the travel a lot easier," he said. "I look forward to new experiences, good food and building some good memories there."

Also taking part in the event is Cypriat Marcos Baghdatis, new Australian number one Marinko Matosevic and Spain's Tommy Robredo.

Davis Cup-winner Radek Stepanek, world 28 Florian Mayer, 29th-ranked Jurgen Melzer and France's Paul-Henri Mathieu (No.58) are some of the other well-known players in the field.

"This is an incredible pool of players," tournament director Cameron Pearson noted.