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Time is ripe for Murray at US Open

At 23, Murray has played in two Grand Slam finals - at the 2008 US Open and this year in Australia - and on each occasion he was trounced by Roger Federer.

The first defeat was seen as perfectly normal and a valuable learning experience for him, but the straight sets loss in Melbourne, when he was playing the best tennis of his life, was a heartbreaker.

Despite a run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July, it has taken Murray seven months and the firing of his coach to work his way back to where once again he is being seen as the main threat in New York to Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Proof of this came earlier this month in Toronto where he notched up straight sets wins over both Nadal and Federer en route to the 15^th title of his career.

The following week he lost in the Cincinnati quarter-finals to Mardy Fish in a strength-sapping encounter, but declared himself delighted with his preparations.

“Physically this week has been good for me,” he said. “I came in a little bit tired after the previous week and played three long matches, so in terms of match fitness I’ll be fine going into the US Open

One former close associate who believes Murray’s time has come is Brad Gilbert.

The outspoken American was the Scot’s coach from 18 months until November, 2007 when they decided to go different ways after a series of disagreements.

Gilbert says that Murray is finally playing the kind of aggressive tennis to end Britain’s 74-year wait for a men’s singles Grand Slam champion.

“When I started coaching him almost five years ago he had this five-year plan that his game was going to blossom,” he said.

“He felt it was going to happen at the Australian Open. Everything was lined up and I think he had a hangover from that for about four or five months.

“I think now finally that he’s changed his game. He’s finally over that and at 23 years old he is coming into his own and now it’s just a matter of getting to the finish line but he really believes he can do it.”

The fast hardcourts at Flushing Meadows would seem to be the ideal surface for Murray to make his Grand Slam breakthrough.

It was there where he first signalled his potential by winning the 2004 junior US Open title and he has often said that of the four Grand Slam tournament surfaces New York was far and away his favourite.

Backing that up is retired US great Andre Agassi who played several times against Murray in the twilight years of his career and was able to assess his potential at first hand.

“Andy’s a multiple slam winner,” he said of Murray earlier this year.

“I think he’ll win more than just one and he’ll do it on at least a couple of surfaces.

“But I think where he’s going to be most likely to win first is the US Open.

“It’s a surface that he can absorb pace so well and move the ball around so easily and he’s a tremendous mover especially on hard courts.”

The problem as ever for Murray is having to play at a time when two sublime talents are active in the shape of Federer and Nadal who between them have won 23 out of the last 27 Grand Slam titles.

Inspiration perhaps will come from the exploits last year of a player younger than himself - Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro — who beat both Nadal and Federer en route to his maiden Grand Slam title.

Del Potro demolished a tired and ailing Nadal in the semi-finals, but it was in the final against Federer where he showed Murray the key to success.

Standing two sets to one down and generally being outplayed by the five-times former winner, Del Potro decided to go on the offensive, unleashing a barrage of huge forehands that staggered the Swiss star.

The big Argentinian, who is unable to defend his title due to a wrist injury, eventually won in five sets becoming the first player since 2003 to defeat Federer in New York.

Murray will likely have to take a leaf out of his book if he hopes to do the same.