Andy Murray has been handed an extremely tough draw if he is
to go one better than his past two years at the Australian Open over the next
two weeks. The Scot reached the final in the last two years but has lost to
Roger Federer in 2010 and then the magnificent Novak Djokovic in 2011.
Here we profile who the 24-year-old is likely to face in each
round in his quest to be the first British major winner since Fred Perry in
1936.
First Round
America’s
up and coming prodigy Ryan Harrison offers Andy Murray a real test in the first
round in Melbourne.
Murray has
never played against the 19-year-old who rose up to world No 66 last year
before falling back to number 84. Harrison
turned professional in 2007 and has so far won $544,756 in career prize-money. He has only
made it past the first round of a major once, at Wimbledon
in 2011, but has a growing reputation in the game and has the potential weapons
to hurt the fourth seed. The right-hander from Florida
will certainly hold no fear against the British No. 1 in the first real test of
Murray’s new coaching
partnership with Ivan Lendl.
Second Round
If Murray
successfully navigates his was past Harrison he will face either Belgium’s Xavier Malisse or
Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the second round. Murray
has never lost to the experienced Belgium
competitor Malisse who is a former Wimbledon
semi-finalist. The 31-year-old is now in his 14th year as a
professional and last played Murray at Queens in 2011, winning the second set. Murray
has never faced world No.101 Roger-Vasselin, 28, who has never made it past
the first round in Melbourne.
Third Round
The third round could pair Murray
with either experienced Frenchman Micheal Llodra, explosive Latvian Ernests
Gulbis or 32nd seed Alex Bogomolov Jr of Russia. Unsurprisingly Murray has a positive
head-to-head against each potential opponent in his final match of the first
week. He hasn’t played Llodra, 31, since the 2008 US Open when he won in four
sets. The left handed serve-volleyer would be dangerous to any player in the
draw with his ability to attack the net. Gulbis has played five matches against
the world No. 4 and lost each one of them. His shot-making ability is always a
worry but he has temperament issues. Bogomolov Jr beat Murray
in their first match-up at the Miami Masters last year, but he could not damage the Brit in two other matches at Cincinnati
and in Japan.
Fourth Round
The stand-out name that could play Murray in the fourth round is 14th
seed Gael Monfils. The Frenchman with a career high ranking of seven is one of the
great athletes from the back of the court and his defensive style will make Murray play extra shots
to win points. Ever consistent at the back of the court, the 25-year-old is
likely to give Murray
his hardest match so far. If Monfils fails to reach a showdown with Murray, former Grand Slam
winner Juan Carlos Ferrero or Serbian No. 3 Viktor Troicki could be waiting. Murray has beaten Ferrero
three times, all in 2009. Troicki, the 19th seed, took the British No.1
to five sets at last years French Open but has yet to record a victory over him
Quarter Final
Another Frenchman, sixth seed Jo Wilfred Tsonga could await Murray in the quarter
final. Tsonga famously defeated Murray in the
first round in 2008 before reaching the final in Melbourne after impressing with bullish
displays. That was Tsonga’s only victory over Murray,
however he was a tie-break away from victory at Queens
last June. His power in his shot-making defeated Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2011 which makes him one of the most feared
opponents on the circuit. Tsonga has a relatively easy draw to reach the
quarters but could be defeated by fellow countryman Gilles Simon, the 14th
seed, or Japanese sensation Kei Nishikori, 24nd seed. Simon has
played Murray
nine times, winning once and Nishikori lost his only encounter in straight sets
at the Shanghai Masters last year.
Semi Final
After his season last year, it would be highly surprising if
world No. 1 Novak Djokovic failed to reach the semi finals in Melbourne. The 24-year-old won three of the
four majors last year and started the year on a run of 43 consecutive match
victories. Djokovic is only a week younger than Murray and has beaten him on six of the 10
matches they have played, most notably the 2011 final in Melbourne. Murray was successful, however, in their last
meeting as the exhausted and injured Serbian retired in the final of the
Cincinnati Masters. Djokovic will have to steer his way past Andy Roddick and
David Ferrer from his quarter of the draw if he is to reach the last four
again. Ferrer was defeated by Murray
at this stage last year. Roddick has reached the Australian Open semi-finals
four times in his career and last beat Murray in
the semi-final of Wimbledon in 2009.
Final
If Murray
was to make the final for a third successive year then it is most likely he
will face another member of the so-called big four, either 15-time Grand Slam
winner Roger Federer or 10-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal. Nadal, this year's 2nd seed, beat Murray
in three major semi-finals last year and holds a 13-5 head to head record against him.
However the last time they met in Melbourne,
the Scot won and would fancy his chances after the Spaniard announced he was
taking a break from tennis in February. Roger Federer has beaten Murray in only six of
their 14 encounters, yet two of these victories were straight set triumphs in Grand Slam
finals. Should Murray
play Federer in the final it would be a repeat of 2010 which the former world
No. 1 won 6-3 6-4 7-6 (11).
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