Andy Murray’s presence is still being felt at the Australian Open with the former world No.1 tied to Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit through a family connection. .

Murray missed the Melbourne tournament with a pelvic injury but his father-in-law Nigel Sears coaches 28th seed Kontaveit.

Ahead of her maiden grand slam quarter-final appearance, taking on Wimbledon champion and world No.3 Simona Halep, Sears has been trawling Murray’s vast tennis mind.

“I have been in touch and had some chats with him and I might have a couple more if she goes much deeper,” Sears said.

The first Estonian player to reach the quarters at the Open, Kontaveit’s achievement comes after her career was derailed late last year through illness.

At the US Open she was forced to pull out of her third-round clash with Belinda Bencic after falling ill, which resulted in surgery to remove an abscess and cost her almost three months on the sidelines.

The 24-year-old got some revenge ousting Swiss sixth seed Bencic 6-0 6-1 in the third round last week.

She advanced to the last eight with a hard-fought 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 7-5 victory over Polish teen Iga Swiatek, while two-time major champion Halep overcame Belgian Elise Mertens 6-4 6-4.

Kontaveit has lost both previous matches against Halep, the 2018 Open runner-up, but felt she had improved since their last meeting back in 2017.

She would also savour playing in the quarter-finals of a major, with her previous best being fourth-round appearances at Melbourne and Roland Garros.

“It’s really special; it’s my first time in a quarter-final, so it’s definitely a big deal for me,” Kontaveit said.

“I do feel like I’m constantly getting better but it’s a long process of learning and getting more mature on court and getting used to the situations and everything.

“I’m looking forward to playing against Simona.

“It’s been a couple of years but she’s a really great player, so I have got to play my best tennis, for sure.”