Andy Murray can be a restless soul but the Scot will be positively itching to get going when he finally gets onto court at the Shanghai Masters today.

The US Open and Olympic champion was given another day off yesterday when Germany's Florian Mayer pulled out before their scheduled second-round match, complaining of a rib injury.

So Murray's first match as he attempts to win the title for the third straight year will come today against the talented and unpredict-able Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine.

Dolgopolov booked his place in round three yesterday with a surprise 6-3, 6-4 win over 15th seed Gilles Simon of France and Murray knows that he will need to be solid against an opponent who has never been one to hit shots out of the text book.

The World No.20 loves to change the pace and use a vicious slice, sometimes even when it's not the right shot, but though Murray knows what to expect, having played and beaten him three times out of three, going into today's match "cold" may present a difficulty of its own.

"You never know whether it's a good or a bad thing," Murray said yesterday.

"Whoever I play now will have played two matches in these conditions. It may take a little while for me to adjust.

"You just need to make sure you do enough preparation, stay sharp and come out playing well, he said."

The incentive to do so is not just his bid for a third straight title in Shanghai but also the 1000 ranking points that come with it. Murray is a long way behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at World No.3 but is intent on closing the gap to be able to strike early next year.

Although it's mathematically possible he could overtake the top two before the year is out, Murray's big chance to gain points could come in March in Indian Wells, where he lost in the second round last year.