Andy Murray feels he's ready to translate progress into titles in New York

In 12 months the current world No2 has gone from Grand Slam novice to a genuine title contender in New York
Andy Murray
Andy Murray, pictured here at a Manhattan tennis club, hopes to improve on his runner's up spot at Flushing Meadows last year. Photograph: Larry Busacca/PA

This time last year Andy Murray was still a relative novice in grand slam tennis, having never been beyond the quarter‑final in any of the four biggest events. Now the Scot has a major final to his name following the run in New York last summer and enjoys the rarified status of being the world No2, sandwiched between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. In short, he is a genuine contender to win a first grand slam title.

Winning a major is the dream for every player and the pressure of trying to get there has proved too much for many. But as a relaxed and confident Murray sits in a rooftop tennis club in Manhattan with the Empire State Building in the background, he emphasises the notion that this could be his time. "My mindset just now is that I think I can win it," he says. "I think I am playing well enough."

The confidence gained from a year of progress shines through his every word. There is no hint of arrogance, just the knowledge that best-ever performances at the French Open (quarter-final) and Wimbledon (semi-final) this summer prove that he is on the right track. Lean and strong after another huge physical effort in the weeks after Wimbledon, he feels at home in New York and knows that last year's experience can only help.

"That was the first time I'd been past the quarter-final of a slam, so it was good to have that experience," he says. "The thing I learned most was to make sure or understand that I can stay calm in those situations. There were a lot of things that I had to deal with over the weekend, with the rain and playing the first day on one court and getting moved on to another. I'd never really had that in a slam before so it was good to have that experience, so if it happens again you know you came through it and it didn't faze you too much."

Murray's victory over Nadal in a semi‑final played over three days was in many ways his coming of age, even if it left him emotionally and physically spent against a well-rested Federer the following day.

Since then Murray has been the most consistent player in the world, winning seven ATP Tour titles, three of them Masters Series titles –the level just below the four majors. The 22-year-old is the first Briton to be ranked No2 and his record on hard courts this year, 34-3, is second to none. It is just his luck then that while Nadal is not quite up to full speed after the tendinitis in the knees that caused him to miss Wimbledon, Federer won the French Open and Wimbledon and is riding high after becoming a father for the first time last month with the birth of his twin girls, Charlene and Myla.

Considering that Novak Djokovic, at the Australian Open in 2008, is the only man other than Federer and Nadal to win a grand-slam title in 4½ years, Murray could be forgiven if he feels a little unfortunate to be playing at the same time as the latter pair. But the Scot has never felt sorry for himself and the thought of beating them both – as he may have to do to win the title in New York – is an inspiration, not a burden. "I obviously want to win a grand slam – everyone wants to do it, it's no different with me. But I understand and I know tennis well because I follow it a lot – I've said this so many times – that you've got the two best players maybe of all time playing just now and it's not that easy a thing to do when you're in an era like this.

"I'm sure by the time they finish you'll have the most slams between any two rivals, so they're obviously two of the best ever. So if I was to win it, it would make my achievement a lot greater. If I don't I can still have a very good tournament and not win it. I'll be very disappointed because I'd love to win this grand slam, maybe more than any, but if I don't, it's not a failure."

Fred Perry was the last Briton to win the US Open in 1936. Like Perry, who became a US citizen in 1938, Murray is very popular with fans here and what would help him is if he does not have to play all his matches in the heat of the day to appease the demands of Sky TV, which would like Murray to play all his matches during its peak viewing hours, 4pm-6pm. "I am sure the viewers would also like to see Nadal or Federer playing," he says. "It's not like there are not other players they can show around that time. In a two-week tournament it would be a lot more helpful for me to play the odd night match."

His potential path to the final is littered with danger, with Ivo Karlovic, Stanislas Wawrinka and Juan Martín Del Potro likely opponents, with Nadal again seeded to face him in the last four. Murray begins tomorrow or on Wednesday with a first-round match against Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, ranked 95 but touted as a potential world-beater as recently as a year ago.

Today's best video

Today in pictures