Tommy Haas will, or should, give Andy Murray a sterner test than Xavier Malisse did at this year's Wimbledon. With Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko already out, there is a path opening up for Murray to exploit if possible.

We all know he has the talent and we all knew the lovely Wimbledon crowd would back the young Scot to the hilt. Murray faced that bag-of-tricks Fabrice Santoro and it was an excellent first round run-out, with Santoro using his 15 years of world top 50 experience to the maximum, producing a highly entertaining match for everyone concerned.

The Murray "drop shot" reared its ugly head a few times to give commentator and legend John McEnroe a few heart-in-mouth moments. McEnroe is a huge fan of Murray and truly believes that the young man can do what Tim Henman couldn't.

Yes, I seriously questioned Murray's attitude at times, but he is playing with a freedom and precision that indicates a run that could, just could, see him reach the latter stages and give the British fans something to be proud of.

Haas is a seasoned pro nearing the twilight of a career worth $8million and who was rated the second best player on the planet in 2002. This is no pushover for Murray, but if he can overcome the rugged German then Britain will start to get excited.

Murray is handling the pressure very well so far and seems to be relaxed and enjoying, no, relishing the limelight. It's a good sign. It certainly wasn't Murray's fault that Malisse was generally not in good health, you just have to beat who is in front of you and that's all you can do, is it not? 

As Murray admitted yesterday: "It's a good thing that I learned to get used to it while Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski were around", commenting on the pressures of the British public and media attention. It has been a good learning curve for Murray and we are currently witnessing the fruition of his young, watchful eyes.

Murray has confidence, sometimes it comes across in a way that can be construed as arrogance. Perhaps we should give the guy the benefit of the doubt. What's wrong with having confidence in your own ability?

Belief in yourself is one of the most important aspects of making it in life. What gives us the right to criticise? Was this Henman's downfall? Or are we clutching at straws? He had Pete Sampras to deal with. Murray has Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It would be fascinating if Murray did meet Federer later in the tournament because Murray's record against the Swiss master is superb. Indian sign comes to mind.

Does he have the ability? Yes. Does he have the temperament? Maybe. Is he experienced enough yet? No.

It's a big ask but maybe, just maybe, Murray Mount will be dancing to his tune for a few more days at least. Best of luck.