Murray acknowledges Nishikori threat

24/01/2012

Tennis fans planning to buy hospitality packages at Wimbledon this summer may be looking forward to Andy Murray's Australian Open quarter-final against Kei Nishikori.

The 22-year-old Japanese star, ranked 22 places below Murray in the world rankings, upset the odds by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round and the Scottish star has insisted he is not expecting an easy ride when they take to the court in Melbourne on Wednesday (January 24th).

Murray said Nishikori is "playing really, really well" and noted his opponent dictated much of the play from the back of the court against Tsonga.

"He's very good, very deceptive. For somebody that's not the tallest guy he creates a lot of power," he added.

Meanwhile, former Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal has already progressed to the semi-finals of the Australian Open following a four-set victory over Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals.

The world number two took four hours and 16 minutes to see off his Czech opponent 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 and will now play Roger Federer in the semis.

By Liz Johnstone