Andy Murray will be different this time - Grigor Dimitrov

by Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Melbourne Park

Melbourne, January 23..... Grigor Dimitrov expects a tougher test from Andy Murray at the Australian Open on Sunday than when he ended the Briton’s Wimbledon reign in July.

The 23-year-old Bulgarian, seeded 10th, won their fourth-round tie at the All England Club in straight sets, with Murray, 27, well below his best.

They will meet on Sunday at around 09:30 GMT, with a Grand Slam quarter-final place again at stake.

“That day it was not him out there. I think we all know that,” said Dimitrov.

“You hardly ever see top players feel really flat early on in a match. It’s a different scenario this time.”

Murray made 37 errors as he lost in a little over two hours on Centre Court, and Dimitrov said afterwards that he had known from the knock-up that all was not well.

The Scot was still searching for his very best tennis following back surgery, and had just begun working with coach Amelie Mauresmo following the departure of Ivan Lendl. Both those issues are long since resolved, and Dimitrov added: “I think he has a lot to look forward to.

“Adding up the new team, it’s all fresh. I think it’s going to give him a bit more excitement to compete, which I’m certainly aware of.

“But at the same time, I feel that I’m pretty stable around me as well. The only thing I can do is get out there and play my tennis.”

Murray, 27, holds a 4-2 lead over Dimitrov in previous meetings and won impressively when the pair last met at the Paris Masters indoor event in November.

That result helped the Briton, seeded sixth in Melbourne, put the disappointment of his Wimbledon defeat behind him.

“I try to look forward,” Murray told BBC Sport. “It happens in every job, every part of life - sometimes you have bad days.

“I don’t feel like I played my best tennis that day." said Murray