Murray looks on the bright side of life

MELBOURNE, Jan 18 (Reuters) Losing in the first round of the Australian Open last year is the best thing that could have happened -- according to Andy Murray.

The Scottish teenager sulked out of Melbourne Park 12 months ago after he effectively blamed his defeat to Juan Ignacio Chela on the British media in a tirade during the post match conference.

Instead of dissecting what went wrong with his own game, he felt weighed down by the level of expectation placed on his bony shoulders.

A year on, Murray will get a sense of deja vu as faces the same Argentine opponent across the net, albeit in the third round at Melbourne Park.

Luckily for Murray, not only has he developed broader shoulders but also a firm belief in his abilities.

''I definitely look on the bright side of life a lot more,'' Murray said after beating Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 7-6 7-5 6-4.

''Compared with last year, I'm definitely having more fun on court.'' His new outlook on life also has a lot do with where Murray stands in world tennis compared with this time last year.

When he faced Chela in 2006, the Argentine was ranked 51st and 11 spots above the Briton.

Fast forward to 2007 and Murray has rocketed to 16th while Chela hovers at a more modest 33.

While Chela went on to lose in the first round at the next three grand slams following his run to the fourth round here, Murray reached the last 16 at Wimbledon and the US Open and was one of only two men to beat Roger Federer last season.

So it will come as little wonder that Murray is looking forward to the rematch.

''My game has obviously got better. Physically I'm definitely stronger,'' said Murray, who has been working with American coach Brad Gilbert for the past six months.

''Mentally I feel like I'm keeping it together much more than I did last year.'' But one thing he hasn't lost is his sharp tongue.

Asked if his serve was the one area he needs to work on before he can join the sport's elite, he retorted: ''So I'm not in the elite yet?'' Except this time he said it with a smile.

REUTERS SAM VC1912