Winning back-to-back titles was something that eluded both Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski and the present British No 1, Andy Murray, will have to wait a little longer for his next chance after he was knocked out of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in the first round, beaten by Robin Haase, a Dutch wild card ranked No 94 in the world.

Just three days after returning to the top ten with his triumph in Marseilles, Murray looked like a fish out of water on the slower courts at the Ahoy Stadium and Haase secured a 7-5, 6-3 victory that was fully deserved.

“I just didn’t play very well,” Murray said. “The returns are normally the best part of my game and I don’t think I had a break point after the first game of the match.”

Murray saved eight break points in the first set but Haase was attacking his second serve at every opportunity – “I felt I had to go for it,” the Dutchman said – and a thumping forehand winner finally gave Haase the break and the opening set.

Murray admitted that he had been too impatient and said he needed to learn how to perform when he has won the previous week. “Obviously you want to maximise your chances of playing well every week and I need to find a way of getting that consistency and understanding how to do that,” he said.

The Scot, who has won two titles this year, shrugged off the defeat. “I didn’t play particularly well, but the way the rankings work, you can afford to have a few tournaments like this,” he said. “If you’re losing in the first round of grand slams and Masters Series all the time, that’s when it’s tough to improve your ranking. So although you’d rather play well every week, it’s better to play badly at a tournament like this.”