Big three now see Murray as a grand slam champion in waiting

THE new season is only five days old and yet already the pressure is mounting on Andy Murray. The Australian Open is two weeks away, the main contenders have barely unpacked their racket bags much less got into their stride, and yet the Scot is already being talked of as the champion in waiting.

Usually such over-blown predictions of grand slam success are reserved for Wimbledon and are made by the flag-waving faithful who have waited since 1936 to see a British man raise a trophy of note. This time, however, it is Murray's rivals who are eyeing him cautiously and promoting him to the position of favourite.

On Saturday Murray beat Rafael Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to win the Capitala World Championships in Abu Dhabi. It was only an exhibition event, it meant nothing in terms of world rankings or bragging rights in the locker room, but the victory did make a point: Murray is ready to make his move in 2009.

However competitive an exhibition match may be, it is still not the real thing. As Murray ran and fought and sweated and battled for nearly three hours to get the better of Nadal, both he and the Spaniard were playing shots that neither would dream of trying in a major championship. No matter, Murray still won. He matched Nadal physically, he countered him tactically and, at the end, he was mentally stronger.

Nadal will not forget his afternoon in the Gulf with Murray, and that could be enough to give the Scot the edge when they meet again in a match that matters. "He has good chances for winning in Australia," Nadal said, simply.

Since he first set foot on the main tour, Murray has been denting reputations, but causing an upset as a rank outsider is simple compared to notching up the wins in pressure matches over men he is expected to beat. Yet in the past six months, Murray has been winning consistently, dealing with the lesser ranks efficiently and claiming his wins over his supposed elders and betters. At times he has made it look simple. In Abu Dhabi, Murray beat Roger Federer on Friday before going on to beat Nadal – the first time he has beaten both champions at the same event.

After reaching the US Open final in September, Murray moved up to No4 in the world pecking order and so joined the big boys at the top of the rankings. These days he is expected to be able to challenge Federer and Nadal and, so far, he has lived up to that. His win over Federer was his fifth in seven meetings, while his win over Nadal was his second in succession. As for Novak Djokovic, the world No3, Murray clobbered him twice in straight sets last summer and appears to have found the answer to the Serb's explosive game.

This week, Nadal, Federer and Murray will be in Doha at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open where Murray is scheduled to meet Federer in the semi-final and then Nadal in the final. No doubt the fat appearance fees had something to do with their decision to stay in the Middle East before moving on to Australia, but the fact that the three are willing to test themselves against each other before the first grand slam of the year speaks volumes about their approach to the coming weeks. Only Djokovic has high-tailed it to an ATP event in Brisbane, preferring to keep his powder dry before Melbourne.

But while the established big names have accepted Murray into their elite group, the Scot is still learning about life at the top. When he went to the US Open, he had never been beyond the quarter-finals of a grand slam tournament. Yet, just 15 days later he was not only a finalist, he was being tipped to win one of the big four trophies, and sooner rather than later. When he gets to Melbourne, he will be seeded to reach the semi-finals at the very least. His experience of getting to the New York final will help his confidence, but the pressure of being expected to compete in another major final will be new.

Murray, though, seems to thrive on pressure: the bigger the match, the better he plays. All the hard work he put in over the Christmas break has paid off and despite being half a stone heavier than last season – every ounce of it muscle – he looked half a yard faster against Nadal. That physical power brings with it mental strength as he knows he can go the distance with anyone and feel no pain. And then there is his game.

No matter how many times he plays the top men, Murray can still spring a surprise or two. He never looks as if he is exerting himself unduly and yet from nowhere he can let rip with a thunderbolt of a groundstroke or move like lightning to pick up a drop shot or put away a volley. And never does he give a clue as to what he is going to do next.

"I like the fact that my game is different to everybody else's," Murray said. "I think that's a good thing. I think my game, because it is very different, is tough to compare with any one player. In terms of hand skills, I think if you say that Nadal and Djokovic put more sort of effort into the ball than me or Federer for example – but I can't really compare myself to any of those guys because we have very different games."

Murray will not compare himself to Federer or Nadal until he has won a grand slam but, as he said after beating Nadal: "That's what I'm aiming for." His moment may well come in Melbourne. One thing is sure: Murray will be ready – and Nadal, Federer and Djokovic know it.


FACTBOX

World No 4 Andy Murray's recent results against world's top three . . .

2009: January, World Tennis Championship (Abu Dhabi), final bt Rafael Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Semi-finals: bt Roger Federer 4-6, 6-2, 7-6

2008: Noember (Masters Cup, Shanghai) round robin, bt Federer 4-6, 7-6, 7-5

October (Madrid Masters), semi-finals, bt Federer, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5

September (US open) final, lost to Federer 2-6, 5-7, 2-6, Semi-finals, bt Nadal 6-2 7-6 4-6 6-4

August (Cincinnati Masters). Final, bt Novak Djokovic 7-6, 7-6.