Murray plays down bad blood rematch with Rosol

Andy Murray played down fears that his US Open clash against Lukas Rosol will be a repeat of their last stormy meeting when he described the Czech as being the sport's most hated player.

World number two Murray faces the controversial 31-year-old for the first time since Munich in 2015 when Rosol bumped into him at a changeover during their quarter-final. “No one likes you on the tour”, Murray told him. “Everyone hates you”.

But the Scot, the reigning Wimbledon and Olympic champion, insists that the bad blood is a thing of the past and will not impact their opening round meeting at Flushing Meadows next week. “I spoke to him after the match and it was fine. A few things happened when we were on the court”, he explained on Friday. “I have actually gotten along fine with him apart from that day. He's a tough, tough opponent, a big, strong guy. He goes for his shots and takes a lot of risks”.

Rosol, ranked at 93 in the world, rose to prominence in 2012 when he dumped Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon.