Former world No3 David Nalbandian will compete at the Heineken Open in Auckland in January as he steps up his comeback following hip surgery.

The 27-year-old Argentinian, currently ranked 20th in the world, is on the road to recovery after going under the knife in May and plans to play in Auckland in the week starting January 11 ahead of the Australian Open the following week.

"Nalbandian is a quality player who has something special in his game as witnessed by his grand slam record of having reached a final and several semi-finals," said tournament director Richard Palmer.

"He's the sort of player who has the ability to really challenge for the Heineken Open title and get back into the top 10."

Nalbandian has won 10 career ATP titles and is one of only a handful of active players who have a winning head-to-head record against both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.