Murrays in race to hit their goals

HIS brother had already beaten him to the punch by winning the family's first grand slam title; his big bro has also matched him by reaching a Masters Series semi-final so as Andy Murray, Britain's best singles player, settles into life at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, he would like to put a little distance between himself and Jamie, Britain's best doubles player.

The Murray boys may be a cheery double act, mocking each other's dress sense, hair styles and personal habits, but they are also fiercely competitive. And they both have big ambitions.

Andy is in the position of having no more than a handful of ranking points between the end of his stay in Miami and the start of the US Open in September. Last year he reached the semi-finals in Florida, but because he knows that he can only profit from the coming months – provided he stays fit and healthy – he has no need to feel pressure and his path to the world's top five is clearly marked.

Jamie, too, has his eyes focused on the sharp end of the doubles rankings. His new partnership with Max Mirnyi is working well, shown by the duo making the last four in California. Exiting at that stage may hurt, but the confidence gained from their stay in the Coachella Valley will serve them well in Miami.

The conditions in Florida have often taken the very best by surprise. After a fortnight in the sleepy retirement resort of Indian Wells, where the heat is dry and the ball flies with extra zip through the air, the blustery and humid atmosphere of Miami takes some getting used to. Stepping out on a typical spring day in Florida is like being slapped around the face by a hot, wet towel. Luckily, both Murray brothers have spent holidays in the noisy, edgy city and have trained there and, as a result, they feel more comfortable than most.

Andy's loss in the fourth round in California to Tommy Haas was unfortunate but it was not the end of the world. He came within touching distance of breaking into the world's top echelons by reaching the last four at the same tournament last year and, 12 months on, he knows he is bigger and better player.

"I'm obviously a better player than I was last year," he said. "I've improved my serve and my positioning at the net is much, much better and, obviously, physically I'm stronger. I've put on a bit of weight, maybe three or four kilos since last year, so they are the main differences. I don't think that much has changed drastically in my game. There's just been three or four things, small things but important things, that I've worked on. I think that's what's made me win more tournaments."

He has won two titles already this year – in Doha and Marseille – and it is obvious that the fitness work he did over the off-season has added more pep to his serve. But he has also tinkered with the technical side of his game and is now actively chasing victories rather than relying on his rock-solid counter-punching game, one built on his lightning reflexes on the return of serve.

"That's something that I really wanted to work on since last year," he said, "because there were too many matches where I was relying too much on my returns to win. This year I'm looking to win matches with my serve because my return is, in terms of the stats, up there with the best in the world.

"I do feel like if I play well that I can go deep into these tournaments," he said, "but you do need a little bit of luck here and there and hope that top guys don't play their best tennis against you for a couple of matches in a row because the level is high now in men's tennis that there's a lot of guys who can win against the top players."

Jamie is also buoyed by that same quiet confidence. He and Mirnyi won their first title in Delray Beach last month and slowly the eldest of the Murray clan is feeling like he belongs in Mirnyi's esteemed company. When they first got together, Jamie felt ill at ease playing alongside a man who had won four grand slam titles but the big man from Belarus soon solved that problem.

"I told him, 'don't worry about it because I'm not a good player'," Mirnyi said. "A lot of my achievements have been through hard work, dedication and discipline and I didn't feel like I was overwhelming him with my good tennis. I do my certain things well but I've got many other areas in my game where I don't do as well. I just made sure that he feels on the same level with me and on the same page and we just move forward with what we have."

The team has obviously become a mutual admiration society as Jamie is relishing the chance to play with such an experienced champion – and he thinks Mirnyi is a nice bloke. "He's the ultimate professional in everything that he does on a tennis court and off it," Jamie said. "He takes good care of himself and he's always so positive. You can miss the easiest shot in the world and he'll still back you to make the next one, which is great to have alongside you."

Both brothers are moving ever closer towards the world's top eight in their respective disciplines, and towards a place in the Masters Cup in China at the end of the year. Jamie's final four finish in California will have bumped the Scot and Mirnyi up a few places from their current position of No.15 in the world this year. Miami, then, is another opportunity to stake their claim to a ticket to Shanghai. The only question left is which brother will get there first.