The last time we saw Andy Murray at a Grand Slam it was the quarter-final of the US Open, and he was burnt out, sore in his back and getting overwhelmed by Stanislas Wawrinka.
What a contrast his first match of the Australian Open was, a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 beating of Japan’s Go Soeda, which seemed to confirm that the back surgery which followed Flushing Meadows has done wonders.
Murray moved well and looked extremely sharp as he took just 87 minutes to emerge from the sauna-like conditions with a win that should have conserved plenty of energy.
Eyes on the prize: Andy Murray made light work of world No 112 Go Soeda in the Australian Open
Job done: Murray made an almost faultless start to his Australian Open campaign in Melbourne
Easy does it: Murray showed no ill-effects of his lay-off following back surgery at the end of last year
There will certainly be bigger challenges to come and the world No 112 was simply not in his league from the moment he was broken in the third game. But you can only beat what is in front of you, and he had good reason to be happy with his late afternoon/early evening’s work.
'You can’t prepare yourself for this, the air is so hot and I’m just pleased to get out of here,' said Murray.
'I’m obviously more confident than I was a few years ago but I’ve been lacking a bit of match practice. I was taking nothing for granted. When you haven’t played for a while you are bit stressed out before matches but I felt pretty good today.
'I’ve played some of my best tennis here and hopefully I can give it a good go this year.'
A different stroke: Murray serves up a boomerang in this Australian Open poster
Struggles: Soeda was unable to make his mark as lowly ranking was exposed against the fourth seed
Watching brief: Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears was courtside to see the Scot cruise into the second round
Murray now plays little-known French qualifier and left-hander Vincent Millot, the world No 267, who aged 27 won his first Grand Slam match with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 victory over American Wayne Odesnik.
Further down the line there was some potential good news with prospective fourth round opponent John Isner retiring against Martin Klizan of Slovakia. American Isner thinks he will still be fit to face Great Britain in the Davis Cup next month.
The question at the start of the match was whether the roof would remain partially open, as the extreme heat rule at this tournament has threatened to be called into action all day to protect the players.
Hot work: Temperatures soared to 42C but Murray was rarely tested against the outclassed Soeda
In a different league: Murray will face much tougher tests as he bids to reach another final in Melbourne
Signed, sealed, delivered: Murray signs autographs for fans after his convincing win over Soeda
Chief support: Murray was backed by his band of fans as he made an impressive start to his campaign
Finger on the pulse: Murray's mum Judy watches on alongside Leon Smith, the Davis Cup captain
Given the dry nature of the Melbourne heat that was never enacted, and although the on court temperature at the start was measured at 42C, the authorities decided to keep the whole event as an outdoor tournament for now.
The oppressive heat had severely reduced the day’s crowds and the secondary Hisense Arena – which is never the most atmospheric of Grand Slam stadiums – was barely half full and lacking much ambiance.
This did not upset Murray, who simply raced through the first set, confirming that he is unencumbered by his back. The first set took 23 minutes and the second 26 minutes as he completely dominated the Japanese journeyman.
Braveheart: British No 1 Murray with the Scottish flag
Thumbs up: Murray celebrates on his way to a comfortable straight-sets victory over Soeda
Cheer up! Murray's coach Ivan Lendl watches as his charge eases through to the second round
As often happens in these situations, momentum can change a little after two easy sets and Soeda began to hit a bit more freely while Murray became slightly sloppy with the winning post hoving into view.
It was effectively sealed when Murray broke for 4-3 and quickly closed it out from there.
Early days, but a very encouraging performance.
No ill-effects: Murray was playing just his third competitive match since having back surgery
What a contrast his first match of the Australian Open was, a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 beating of Japan’s Go Soeda, which seemed to confirm that the back surgery which followed Flushing Meadows has done wonders.
Murray moved well and looked extremely sharp as he took just 87 minutes to emerge from the sauna-like conditions with a win that should have conserved plenty of energy.
Eyes on the prize: Andy Murray made light work of world No 112 Go Soeda in the Australian Open
Job done: Murray made an almost faultless start to his Australian Open campaign in Melbourne
Easy does it: Murray showed no ill-effects of his lay-off following back surgery at the end of last year
There will certainly be bigger challenges to come and the world No 112 was simply not in his league from the moment he was broken in the third game. But you can only beat what is in front of you, and he had good reason to be happy with his late afternoon/early evening’s work.
'You can’t prepare yourself for this, the air is so hot and I’m just pleased to get out of here,' said Murray.
'I’m obviously more confident than I was a few years ago but I’ve been lacking a bit of match practice. I was taking nothing for granted. When you haven’t played for a while you are bit stressed out before matches but I felt pretty good today.
'I’ve played some of my best tennis here and hopefully I can give it a good go this year.'
A different stroke: Murray serves up a boomerang in this Australian Open poster
Struggles: Soeda was unable to make his mark as lowly ranking was exposed against the fourth seed
Watching brief: Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears was courtside to see the Scot cruise into the second round
Murray now plays little-known French qualifier and left-hander Vincent Millot, the world No 267, who aged 27 won his first Grand Slam match with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 victory over American Wayne Odesnik.
Further down the line there was some potential good news with prospective fourth round opponent John Isner retiring against Martin Klizan of Slovakia. American Isner thinks he will still be fit to face Great Britain in the Davis Cup next month.
The question at the start of the match was whether the roof would remain partially open, as the extreme heat rule at this tournament has threatened to be called into action all day to protect the players.
Hot work: Temperatures soared to 42C but Murray was rarely tested against the outclassed Soeda
In a different league: Murray will face much tougher tests as he bids to reach another final in Melbourne
Signed, sealed, delivered: Murray signs autographs for fans after his convincing win over Soeda
Chief support: Murray was backed by his band of fans as he made an impressive start to his campaign
Finger on the pulse: Murray's mum Judy watches on alongside Leon Smith, the Davis Cup captain
Given the dry nature of the Melbourne heat that was never enacted, and although the on court temperature at the start was measured at 42C, the authorities decided to keep the whole event as an outdoor tournament for now.
The oppressive heat had severely reduced the day’s crowds and the secondary Hisense Arena – which is never the most atmospheric of Grand Slam stadiums – was barely half full and lacking much ambiance.
This did not upset Murray, who simply raced through the first set, confirming that he is unencumbered by his back. The first set took 23 minutes and the second 26 minutes as he completely dominated the Japanese journeyman.
Braveheart: British No 1 Murray with the Scottish flag
Thumbs up: Murray celebrates on his way to a comfortable straight-sets victory over Soeda
Cheer up! Murray's coach Ivan Lendl watches as his charge eases through to the second round
As often happens in these situations, momentum can change a little after two easy sets and Soeda began to hit a bit more freely while Murray became slightly sloppy with the winning post hoving into view.
It was effectively sealed when Murray broke for 4-3 and quickly closed it out from there.
Early days, but a very encouraging performance.
No ill-effects: Murray was playing just his third competitive match since having back surgery
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