Andy Murray content to feel heat in Australian Open build-up

Scot to play in Hopman Cup ahead of season’s first Grand Slam event

Andy Murray poses with Sunshine the Koala at Kings Park (GETTY IMAGES)

All roads lead to Melbourne, but the world’s leading men are taking very different routes on their journey to the Australian Open, which begins in just a fortnight’s time. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal start their 2016 campaigns at this week’s Qatar Open in Doha, while Andy Murray and Roger Federer are already in Australia for the start of their preparations for the year’s opening Grand Slam event.

Federer has a bye in the first round of the Brisbane International, but Murray’s season begins here today at the Hopman Cup, which was where he chose to begin his season last year. The mixed-team competition, in which the Scot will be representing Britain in partnership with Heather Watson, is classified as an exhibition event, with no ranking points on offer, but Murray believes it provides ideal preparation for the Australian Open.

The format, with eight two-person teams split into two groups of four, guarantees all those involved plenty of court time. All the teams play three round-robin matches, each of which consists of a men’s singles, a women’s singles and a mixed doubles. In Britain’s first match today, against France, Murray will take on Kenny de Schepper, who is a late replacement for the injured Gaël Monfils, while Watson will face Caroline Garcia before the four reappear for a mixed doubles.

Although the matches are played indoors at the Perth Arena, there are good practice facilities outdoors on courts which have the same playing surface as the Australian Open. Murray has been training here for nearly a week. With the temperature predicted to peak at 37C on Thursday, the conditions should match the most challenging that Melbourne will offer later this month.

“Getting here nice and early is good,” the BBC’s recently crowned Sports Personality of the Year said. “The conditions here are tough. It’s been in the mid-thirties every day we’ve been here so in terms of preparation it’s great. You’re guaranteed three singles and three mixed matches, so you get a lot of time on the court. It gives you time to get over the flight, the jet lag and everything before the Aussie Open.”

Murray’s other singles matches this week will be against two of the game’s most exciting young talents, the 20-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios and the 18-year-old German Alexander Zverev. The favourites to qualify for Saturday’s final from the other round-robin group are the United States, who will be represented by Jack Sock and Serena Williams.

Although Murray has never won the Australian Open, he has performed more consistently Down Under than at any of the other Grand Slam tournaments. He has been runner-up four times, in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. Indeed, since 2009 only Djokovic and Federer have beaten him at Melbourne Park.

This will be Murray’s fourth appearance at the Hopman Cup, but he has yet to win the tournament. The closest he came was when he reached the final in partnership with Laura Robson in 2010.

Murray said he hoped the experience of playing with Watson last year would stand the pair in good stead over the next week. “We don’t really get to play mixed doubles throughout the rest of the year,” he said. “In 2015 I only played mixed at this event, so we don’t really get to practise much. But I know Heather a little better and I think the more you know someone that tends to help the partnership.”

Watson will be especially keen to get her year off to a good start as she has significant ranking points to defend next week following her title triumph at the Hobart International last year. The world No 55, who has already been displaced by Jo Konta as the British No 1, parted company last month with her coach, Diego Veronelli. Judy Murray, Andy’s mother and Britain’s Fed Cup captain, will be coaching Watson on a temporary basis for the next month.

Konta, who starts the year as world No 48 after climbing more than 100 places in 2015, begins her season this week at the Shenzhen Open in China, where her first opponent will be a local player, Qiang Wang, who is the world No 110.

Kyle Edmund, the British No 3 behind Murray and Aljaz Bedene, got his year off to a good start by winning both his qualifying matches over the weekend to reach the main draw of the Qatar Open. Edmund, who is guaranteed a place in the main draw of the Australian Open by dint of his position at No 102 in the world rankings, followed up his 6-4, 6-3 victory over Andrea Arnaboldi by beating Radu Albot 6-2, 6-4.

James Ward, the British No 4, won his first match in qualifying for the Chennai Open, beating Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 6-4, 6-3, but fell at the second hurdle when he was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 by the more experienced Somdev Devvarman.