Andy Murray says he will look to try and play with variety when he meets Marinko Matosevic in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Following a disappointing 2014, the Scot opened his Grand Slam campaign for this year in comfortable style on Monday with a 6-3 6-4
7-6 victory over Indian qualifier Yuki Bhambri.
He will now meet one of his practice partners Matosevic in the second match scheduled on the Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday and is the clear favourite to win, currently priced at 1.03, with his opponent available at 11.00.
What is for certain is that it will not be a straightforward affair, with the eccentric Australian known for often doing his best to unsettle his rivals, most famously kicking over Rafael Nadal’s meticulously placed water bottles at the 2013 Monte Carlo Masters.
Despite his quirkiness, Matosevic is a much improved player and in recent years has started to add some finesse to his all-round game, having previously relied on his powerful serve.
Murray knows the 29-year-old well and believes mixing up his style will allow him to get the better of the man known as ‘Mad Dog’.
“I know Marinko very well; I get on well with him,” he is quoted as saying by the BBC. “I need to continue serving well. That helps against whoever you’re playing against.
“When you play against a big guy who likes to go for his shots, if you can keep good weight and depth behind your shots, that can frustrate them. I’ll try and use some variety to throw his timing off a little bit and just continue doing what I’ve been doing the last few weeks.”
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