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Murray plans to take maths out of the equation

British number one Andy Murray plans to keep his winning run going in the ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday to avoid a repeat of the mathematical madness that ruined his challenge last year.

Murray missed out on a place in the semi-finals of the prestigious end-of-season event at London’s O2 Arena 12 months ago due to the convoluted nature of the tournament rules.

Although Murray won two of his three group matches, he failed to qualify because he won one game less than Juan Martin Del Potro, who advanced at the Scot’s expense.

This time Murray hopes to remove maths from the equation by winning all three Group B matches.

He started well on Sunday with a dominant 6-2, 6-4 win over world number four Robin Soderling and now faces Roger Federer or David Ferrer on Tuesday.

“Last year I was unlucky, it came down to one game or something. I don’t know exactly. I’d be surprised if that happens again or if it’s ever that close again,” Murray said.

“I was obviously happy to win in straight sets. In the next match, I’ll just try and get another win. That’s the most important thing, so I won’t worry about what happened last year.”

Murray produced one of his best displays this year to crush Soderling - a noted indoor specialist - in just one hour and 20 minutes as he thrived on the partisan atmosphere generated by the capacity crowd in south-east London.

The 23-year-old has endured an inconsistent season which saw him lose the Australian Open final to Roger Federer and then surrender his place in the world’s top four.

But he is well aware winning a tournament against the very best of his peers would be the perfect response to those who question his ability to land a Grand Slam tite.

“It’s a huge tournament. I think all of the players want to play their best tennis here,” he added.

“It’s a big win, to beat someone that’s ranked higher than me. The guy’s number four in the world. He’s a very, very good player.

“I think when you beat someone as good as him in a tournament like this with that score line, it’s normal to be pretty excited about it.”

Murray has enjoyed some fine results in London before of course after two runs to the Wimbledon semi-finals, but he admitted the pop concert style atmosphere at the O2 Arena was a totally different experience to playing at the more serene All England Club.

“I think Centre Court at Wimbledon is probably the most special court in tennis. The atmosphere here is obviously different. It’s more sort of like a concert, with music at the change of ends, having the big screen there showing replays of the points,” he said.

“It’s just different. It’s more like a basketball or concert atmosphere. Whereas Wimbledon is obviously a bit quieter.”