Australian Open sickener for Murray after defeat to Safin in Melbourne

A below-par Murray was swept aside 6-1 6-4 by Marat Safin in his opening match at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, a warm-up event for the year's first grand slam.

British number one Murray, winner of the Qatar Open last week, conceded he was not at his best but put his lethargy down to jetlag and playing so soon after lunch.

The 20-year-old was caught out by a change to the schedule which saw his match played earlier than had been planned.

The Scot, who famously vomited at the 2005 US Open, said on his personal website, www.andymurray.com: "We obviously got bumped by the match in front, so I didn't get off to the best start, but it was okay.

"It was quite tough conditions - it's pretty windy out there.

"I feel all right, just a little bit over-tired. I didn't feel too great on the court but after a couple more days of practising and getting used to the conditions and getting over the jetlag, I'll be feeling much better.

"I was doing some running on the track this morning and I hadn't had my lunch too long before the match, so in some of those long rallies I felt like it was just about to all come up.

"That was obviously out of my control but my legs don't feel that tired. I guess it just takes a few days once you get here after the long trip to feel 100% again."

Both Murray and Safin now play again in what is an eight-man invitational event played on a round-robin basis.

Safin's performance marks a pleasant return to form for the former Australian Open winner, who has tumbled down the rankings after numerous injury problems in recent years. He is currently ranked 57.

There were also wins for American Andy Roddick, who beat Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 6-0, and Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who overcame Nikolay Davydenko 6-4 4-6 6-1.