Masterful Murray on Course for Australian Open Title

Now seemingly in control of the pressure put on him by the British press, Andy Murray approaches his maiden Australian Open final with a game that could easily lay the platform for future success in the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments this year.

Possessing arguably one of the most intelligent minds on the court, Murray has found himself in control of every match he has played in an Australian Open which has seen the 22-year old play against some tricky opponents.

While Murray was expected to get past his first three opponents in straight sets, his performances against John Isner, Rafael Nadal and Marian Cilic suggest the young Briton will finally break through for his maiden Grand Slam title.

In his wins against Isner and Nadal, Murray consolidated his status as the second best mover on the ATP tour, hitting some tremendous forehand and backhand winners down the line while on the run against two opponents known to hit the ball very heavily.

When Murray finds himself in control of a baseline rally, the 2008 US Open runner-up has made a habit of producing some clinical drop shots that either win the point or set up an easy finish.

He used the drop shot to great effect against Isner, knowing full well the American cannot move as fluently in comparison to players such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

In his semi-final victory against Croatian Marian Cilic, Murray was able to shake off a bad start and employ his own game against a player who had already played three five-set matches en route to a Final Four birth.

Knowing full-well Cilic would tire, Murray was able to run the 21-year old ragged around the court, which in turn made the Croatian go for broke late in the match.

The change in mindset from Cilic ultimately cost him the match, as the world No. 14 made 54 unforced errors in comparison to Murray’s 29.

With all parts of his game seemingly solid, Murray now faces a huge mental test to see whether or not he can become the first British player in over 20 years to win an Australian Open crown.

Indeed Murray has already experienced the agony of finishing runner-up to Federer in the 2008 US Open, losing in straight sets.

One feels Murray is now ready to erase that loss from his memory banks, even if he has to face the greatest player of all-time on the historic surface that is Rod Laver Arena.