Murray ready to fly out blocks in his race to secure first grand slam

ANDY Murray gets his 2009 ATP Tour campaign under way today when he begins his defence of the Qatar Open with a match against Albert Montanes of Spain. He will end it, according to a growing number of experts, as the holder of at least one of the four Grand Slams – and the player himself is increasingly optimistic about his chances of doing so after beating Rafael Nadal in the final of the pre-season Capitala World Championship at the weekend.

"When we play in the Australian Open, I know I'll be able to beat him in a tight match," said the Scot of Nadal, who is the French Open and Wimbledon champion as well as being world No 1. "It was an awesome way to start the year."

While Murray has long been of the opinion that the hard courts at the US Open are where he has his best chance in a slam, Nadal suggested that the Scot also had an excellent opportunity at the Australian Open, which begins on 19 January. "He was very good towards the end of last year, and he is really playing well right now," the Spaniard said.

"I think he has got a great chance in Australia. I thought I played very good, but obviously, Andy played a little better."

Murray, the No 4, beat No 2 Roger Federer in the semi-final, and has now clearly gone up a level from the middle of last year, when he was less able to rise to the occasion in consecutive matches. Bulking up over the brief close season has been one of the keys to his immediate success, but he is aware that there can be no lessening of his work load if he is to win a slam for the first time. "Every time I play the top players, I know I have to work extra hard and play my best tennis if I want to beat them," he added.

The veteran coach Nick Bollettieri is just one observer who believes this can be Murray's breakthrough year, although, true to his work ethic, he suggested that a spot of fine tuning would be needed first. "He's a favourite of mine," Bollettieri said. "I believe he has the potential to win a Grand Slam and is beginning to come into his own.

"He may have to add a little bit more of coming to the net to put a bit more pressure on the opponent as he's a damn good volleyer."

But, while British tennis fans are becoming increasingly enthusiastic about the Scot's prospects, bookmakers are experiencing an altogether less positive emotion. The odds on the world No 4 winning one of the four Grand Slams in 2009 have fallen steadily in recent months, and dropped again on Saturday after he defeated Nadal in the final in Abu Dhabi.

William Hill now have Murray priced at 5-6 to win a slam, and 4-1 third favourite to win Wimbledon. Ladbrokes have him at 7-4 for a slam, and 11-2 for Wimbledon. Even with the odds coming down, though, the bookies stand to make considerable losses should the 21-year-old succeed in winning in Australia, France, England or the USA. Victory in any of those events for Murray is something that the leading firms are already dreading.

"That's it in a word – dread," David Williams of Ladbrokes said yesterday. "At this time of year, we always look ahead and ask where are we going to make our money, and there was a time when we could rely on Wimbledon doing that for us.

"For many years, everyone backed Tim Henman, he would flop, and we would keep the money. With Andy Murray we could lose a lot of that cash we won on Henman, and certainly if he reaches the semi-finals at Wimbledon the alarm bells would start to ring. If Murray wins it could cost us in the region of £1 million."

In common with Ladbrokes, Hills have witnessed a swell of support for the Scot over the past eight or nine months, and they too stand to lose substantially should he win his first major. "One grand slam will cost us hundreds of thousands," said Graham Sharpe of Hills. "More than one will cost us over a million. So we are fearful of Murray's increased chances of success this season.

"We're as patriotic as anyone else, so hopefully we'll be able to look on it as giving something back to the tennis punters. Just as long as he doesn't make a habit of it."

The one potential downside for British tennis is the pressure that success will put on Murray's continued participation in the Davis Cup. At present he is committed to taking part in the tie against Ukraine at the Braehead Arena in March, but the more matches he plays the more likely it is that his body will demand he take two or three short mid-season breaks, and Davis Cup weeks are about the only realistic times he could do so.

Murray warmed up for the singles in Qatar yesterday by playing in the doubles alongside his friend Ross Hutchins. The Britons went down 7-5, 6-4 to Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.