IT IS not often that Andy Murray is described as a "wee ray of sunshine" but Scotland's finest is gradually growing into the role. Admittedly it was his mother who described him as such, it was a long time ago and it was a long way out of his earshot but, nevertheless, Murray's sunny side is shining brightly at the moment.
Yesterday he beat Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-3 in 74 minutes to reach the final of the St Petersburg Open – another routine win in the everyday life of the world's fourth-best tennis player. Now he faces Andrey Golubev, a chap with a complicated ancest
ry. The 21-year-old world No.150 was born in Russia, lives in Italy and plays for Kazakhstan and yesterday he beat Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-0.
By beating Verdasco, Murray brought his tally of wins for the year to 51 and extended his current streak of victories to 10. It also put him into his sixth final of the year and on course for his fifth title of 2008.
Since leaving Wimbledon in July, Murray has won 24 of 26 matches on the regular tour (discounting the minor hiccup of losing in the first round at the Olympics). Only Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have beaten him in those three months but both defeats have been avenged as the Scot beat Nadal at the US Open and Federer at the Madrid Masters last weekend. And throughout it all, Murray has been relaxed, content and happy.
Everyone from Federer to Tim Henman has noticed the change in Murray's on-court demeanour. When the match is not going according to plan – although that is a rare occurrence these days – he no longer looks dejected or fraught and he no longer hurls abuse at the heavens, himself or his followers in the players' box. But it is not the behaviour of an angry young man who has been told to mind his Ps and Qs but rather the actions of a very ambitious young man who is determined to have everything in its place so that he can focus on his job.
"In terms of being angry, I think in the past it's just been a lot of things off the court that I wanted to get sorted out," he said. "We travel 10 or eleven months a year and if you're unhappy off the court you can become kind of miserable. But now I've got guys around me that I really enjoy being around. I made a lot of changes at the end of last year. I'm really enjoying my tennis, not only on the court but off it, and as a result of that I'm playing much better, even though the guys I'm working with are not as experienced as someone like Brad (Gilbert]. When they're enjoying it, I'm enjoying it."
He could not have been happier at the result of yesterday's match. It took Verdasco 50 minutes to get a game on the scoreboard but by then eight games had already gone to the Scot. Verdasco made a better fist of things in the middle of the second set, but it was not to last as Murray broke for the fifth time and then served out for the match with ease.
Murray ought to be sick of the sight of Verdasco by the end of next week. He is scheduled to meet the Spaniard again in the Paris Masters in Bercy in the third round. The event starts today and Murray and Verdasco could be at each other's throats again on Thursday.
The No.4 seed is in the top half of the Bercy draw and so is seeded to meet Nadal in the semi-finals. Nadal, though, looked utterly exhausted in Madrid and may not turn up for duty in France. Federer was far more open about his plans – he was going to play in his home town tournament in Basel and then make his decision about Paris. With the Masters Cup starting in Shanghai in two weeks, the Swiss was leaning towards keeping his powder dry for one last assault on a big trophy before the season finishes.
By contrast, Murray is relishing his run to the Christmas break. He has rounded off the most successful season of his career to date with a five-week slog around the indoor circuit. It has been profitable but by this stage in the season, most players are hanging on by their finger tips until they can take a break. But Murray appears different. When he came back from the US Open final, he was neither drained nor willing to rest on his laurels. Instead, he was spurred on by an even greater sense of self-belief and worked himself even harder in training.
"Getting to the US Open final gave me more confidence," Murray explained. "Normally when I started playing again after a few days off, it was much harder to get into a rhythm. When I started playing again after New York I felt good pretty much after the first or second. I just felt better about my game much quicker. It gives you a bit more confidence and assurance.
"You always dream of winning those tournaments and beating those sorts of players but until you actually do it you're not as confident as you might be."
Murray has now won the big matches and beaten the big players – and he has done it on a regular basis in the past three months. While he cannot move up in the rankings before the start of the new season, the points he is gathering now will provide the platform from which to build next year.
He is in the form of his life, he is riding high on a crest of wins and he is enjoying every moment of the experience. Andrey Golubev had better beware this afternoon.
The full article contains 994 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
