A second Wimbledon title and Olympic gold medal in the bag, Andy Murray begins his journey for a second US Open crown with a first round match against Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
The No.2 seed is the favourite of many to lift the US Open title this year, what with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal struggling with injury and Roger Federer missing the final Grand Slam of the year.
Murray has been the in-form player in the circuit of late, with his ability to find that extra gear in the big matches giving him the edge coming into the US Open. While a place in the final looks almost straightforward, considering Nadal and Djokovic are on the other half of the draw, Murray will not want complacency to creep in.
Rosol is a difficult customer when at his best, and Murray, who has won both matches against his Czech opponent, will know the pitfalls of not going into this match with a 100% focus.
"He's a tough, tough opponent," Murray said. "He's a big strong guy, goes for his shots, takes a lot of risks. He's caused upsets in the Slams before.
"Everyone will probably remember him beating Rafa [Nadal] at Wimbledon a few years ago."
That upset happened in 2012, when Rosol played one of the matches of his life to top the Spaniard. Rosol, though, knows that performance is I the past and Murray poses a different threat.
"That is history already," Rosol said of the Nadal win four years ago. "I remember the match, yes, but I cannot take something from the match for Tuesday. He was a leftie and [there were] too many different things.
"I was also four years younger and I was different. Now I am more experienced and Andy is playing a different game."
Indeed, the Brit is playing some of his best tennis at the moment, but what could trip up the 2012 US Open champion is the bad blood that exists between the two players. In Munich last year, words were exchanged between the two players, with Murray not taking too kindly to a shoulder barge from Rosol when the players crossed over to sit in their seats.
While both players tried to play down the ill-feeling, things could heat up under the night skies at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, especially if the match end up being really close.
Where to Watch Live
Andy Murray vs Lukas Rosol is the second match of the night session. The first match begins at 7 p.m. local time (4.30 a.m. IST next day). Below is the live streaming and TV information.
India: TV: Ten 1 and Ten 1 HD. Live Streaming: Tensports live.
US: TV: ESPN. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Europe: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
Canada: TV: TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
New Zealand: TV: Sky Sport. Live Streaming: Sky Go NZ.
Middle East: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
China: TV: CCTV.
Japan: TV: Wowow TV.
International: Live Streaming: US Open website.
