Andy Murray did not lose any sleep when he received the news that he would play Roger Federer in the first round of the Dubai Championship tomorrow.

The Scot was in bed when the news arrived by text and he said: "I looked at the message and went back to sleep," Murray said.

"I wasn't panicking or worrying about it. It's a tough draw, but I'm really excited to have a chance to play against Federer. It's not that often you get the chance to play against someone who could possibly be the best tennis player ever."

Federer has been out of action since losing his Australian Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic over a month ago but Murray, who is unseeded for the tournament, does not feel this gives him an advantage.

"In terms of ranking, for both of us we couldn't have had worse draws," the Scot said. "For me it's an important match to see where my game's at and to see how my game matches up against the best player in the world.

"It's going to be a really difficult match for me but I need to go on the court believing I can win and we'll see what happens."

Federer agreed, claiming the draw could have been kinder. "I knew the draw was going to be tough but this is obviously a bit more particular because my opponent's so [highly] ranked," world No 1 said.

"He's already won two tournaments and I haven't even played two tournaments, so it's an interesting first-round match."