The Royal South Yarra player, who regularly travels to the south-west for the Warrnambool Open, revealed he was drawn back by the challenge of playing on grass.

“I just love the feeling of playing down here. The feeling around the courts and the clubhouse at this time of year is just special,” McLean told The Standard.

“There’s definitely more challenges in it, especially when they’re using grass court balls.

“But it’s better for net play and that suits my game because I like to come in.”

McLean said he wasn’t fazed by a tag as competition favourite.

He said he was expecting a tough standard of competition.

“To be honest, I never look at the draw so I’m surprised that I’m number one,” McLean said.

“There’s always a really good standard of players here.”

The tournament begins on Saturday and carries through until Monday.