No one likes a smart arse, Andy

Andy Murray was handed a lesson in humility by Spain’s Tommy Robredo in the Hopman Cup final.

No one likes a smart arse and whether it was said with tongue in cheek, Murray’s comments on the eve of the Hopman Cup final were not the best chosen words.

"I won't lose tomorrow," Murray said of his singles clash with Robredo."If I play well I have a good chance of winning. If I play badly he (Robredo) can make it very, very difficult for you. He doesn't make many mistakes. He chases a lot of balls down. There will probably be some long rallies, but I'll try to keep them as short as possible."

Robredo is a confirmed scrapper and if he needed any extra incentive to propel his country to victory, Murray handed him it.

Murray won the first set at a canter, but his game disintegrated in the second set and when Robredo secured victory in the third set you do hope the handshake was greeted with a wry smile.