Tsonga 'less afraid' of 'rusty' Murray ahead of fourth-round US Open clash

French tennis ace Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has insisted that he is 'less afraid' of British number one Andy Murray ahead of their fourth-round US Open encounter on Monday, as he is boosted by the Briton's uncertain form.

Murray has not won a title or beaten a top-10 player since Wimbledon in 2013 and also Tsonga has a 2-9 record against the Scot, but ended a six-year losing run in Toronto earlier this month.

Tsonga said that the locker room is maybe a bit less afraid of Murray because he's losing a few more matches than in the past. But, he added that he does not know any player who once on court is going to be super-confident against the former Wimbledon champion, The BBC reported.

Tsonga said that Murray is different than in the past maybe because he feels that the Scot is not serving as strong as he used to, nor maybe hitting as strong as he used to. And, he said that during matches Murray is showing more when he seems in pain with his back or hip region.

The pair is scheduled in the third match on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium, with a hot, humid and potentially stormy weather predicted in New York.

It is four years since Murray last failed to reach the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam in which he competed, and his dominant record against Tsonga could have been even better had he converted a lead in the final set of their recent match in Canada, the report added.