Wednesday 18 January 2017 20:50, UK
After struggling through in hot conditions on day one at the Australian Open, top-ranked Andy Murray says he will be better prepared for his next encounter against Russian teenager Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.
A heavy-footed and rusty Murray had to dig himself out of a number of holes before securing a 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 win over the 95th-ranked Ukrainian Illya Marchenko, having spent far longer on court than he would have liked on Rod Laver Arena.
The Scot made 27 unforced errors and conceded three breaks of serve before gradually shedding his early tentativeness to rally with aggression.
He next faces qualifier Rublev, the world No 152, who had earlier registered a surprise win over Yen-Hsun Lu, and Murray knows he will have to play far better if he is to lift the trophy a week on Sunday.
Rublev will offer an altogether different proposition, coming in as one of the brightest talents on the tour and having previously played in only one Grand Slam main draw.
"I know a little bit about him," Murray said. "I've never hit with him or played against him but I've seen him play before and he goes for it. He doesn't hold back. He hits a big ball.
"I saw him play a couple of years ago at the US Open against [Mikhail] Youzhny. I watched a bit of his match there. I thought he was very good, a clean ball-striker. Like I said, he goes for it.
"Obviously when you get out there, things look a little bit different than they might on the TV or on the video. But I'll try to watch a bit over the next couple of days and hopefully go in with a good strategy.
"I'll need to work some things out myself when I'm out there."
Marchenko certainly offered a stern opening test, his exuberant shot-making and refusal to give in troubled Murray.
But hot conditions took their toll on the Ukrainian, along with Murray's superior experience under pressure, which ultimately proved decisive.
"I don't think it was the best match, to be honest," admitted 29-year-old Murray.
"The conditions there were pretty different to what we've been practising on. The last week's been pretty cool. A lot of days, it's been overcast. The temperature of the court is much cooler.
"When it's like that, the ball is bouncing a bit lower, (it's) a bit easier to control the ball. I was a bit tentative because of that.
"And I didn't serve that well either. So you end up having to work really hard on a lot of your service games when it's like that. It just was tough."
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