THERE is a new look to Andy Murray this summer. The hair could still use a comb through it and the mischievous sense of humour is still never too far below the surface, but there is a new swagger in his stride, a new calm confidence about him.
Murray is on the verge of something big. He knows it and, better still, his rivals can sense it too.
The US Open begins today with the Scot as the No6 seed. After four months of world domination, Rafael Nadal is the clear favourite to win, while
Roger Federer, the US champion of the past four years, is the next best thing to Nadal. Novak Djokovic, too, is keen to prove that his Australian Open title was not a flash in the pan and even if his results have not been remarkable this summer, his ego will not let him believe that he is anything less than a champion in waiting. And then there is Murray.
Since he reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon two months ago, Murray has been moving onwards and upwards through the rankings. He ticked off the first item on his 'list of things to do this summer' by beating Djokovic to reach the semi-finals at the Toronto Masters and then beat the Serb again to tick off the second-listed item: winning his first Masters Series title.
Murray might have endured a poor Olympics in Beijing – beaten by Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun, ranked 71 places below the Scot – but by taking the silverware in Cincinnati, Murray proved he belonged with the big boys, that he could win the titles that really matter. Now, as he prepares for his opening US Open match with Sergio Roitman, the world No102 from Argentina, his view of the last grand slam of the year has changed.
"Obviously beating Djokovic in the final is huge," he said. "It's not just because it was the final of a Masters Series, but because it was against him who has such a good record in finals, especially on the American hard courts. When you come into these sort of tournaments now, you go on the court and you're not worrying about the outcome, you can just go for it. Now I feel like I can compete with those guys on a regular basis.
"My record against the top guys, bar Nadal, is pretty good so whether my ranking is top five or not, a lot of the other players, I'm sure, think that I'm one of the top players now and that for me is the most important thing."
Nadal is everyone's biggest problem at the moment. The all-conquering Spaniard appears unstoppable yet Murray feels he is getting closer to him every time they meet on a hard court. And the British No1 is on course for another crack at Nadal in the semi-finals here.
"I don't think I'm particularly far away from beating him," Murray said. "Each time I've played him on hard courts, I've felt comfortable on the court. I've never felt that I was outclassed. This, for me, is my best surface and I think once I do get stronger physically and my game's going to get better over the next year or two years, I'm sure I'll beat him sooner rather than later."
Getting to the sharp end of a grand slam event is the next big goal for Murray. He has proved his worth everywhere else on the circuit and is even in with a very good chance of qualifying for the Masters Cup, the end-of-season jamboree for the very best in the world. But it is the four majors that matter most and Murray still sees New York as his best chance of success.
"I don't think you really know whether you are ready or not to win a grand slam," he said. "I just think you do all the things that are going to give you the best shot of doing it and when the opportunity comes you either take it or you don't.
To try and win grand slams is the last goal that I think, for me, is the ultimate goal that I've set myself."
The only part of Murray that has not changed, then, is his raw ambition. And if he can play as he did on the hard courts of Cincinnati and Toronto a few weeks ago, it is only other people's opinions of him that will alter in the coming fortnight.
The full article contains 758 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
