Andy Murray begins his Australian Open against the talented but fiery teenager Ryan Harrison on Tuesday.
Talented but temperamental. It's a description which many were applying to Murray not so long ago and now he's facing just that on the other side of the net. 19 year old Harrison may be carrying the mantle for the next generation of US hopefuls but he has a temper to match his potential.
The teenager was dubbed "Mr Crankypants" by some commentators after his bizarre behaviour during a defeat to Marin Cilic at last year's US Open and Murray will be hoping to bring the worst out of Harrison in this encounter.
“I’ll try and make him lose his temper early," he said. "It’s something that helps if you know your opponent can get down on himself, and it affects his game, and when you see them getting like that, you want to try to hit the gas and keep going. He can be a little bit erratic so I’ll just use a lot of variation, and make it as tough as I can for him, especially at the start.”
However make no mistake, Harrison could be a handful. He's a deft shot-maker who looks to construct his points and use his all-court ability. He also relishes challenges like this. However his problem could be that Murray enjoys playing the more methodical opponents, particularly in hot conditions where his supreme ball control and variety gives him the advantage.
Prediction: Murray in three.
