WHEN Andy Murray is quizzed about his failure to win a maiden Grand Slam, his favoured response is to highlight the strengths of the players he is competing against. Thanks to the presence of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Murray finds himself competing in an era graced by two of the greatest players of all time.

Yet if he fails to win the Australian Open in Melbourne this weekend, having cruised through to the semi-finals for the loss of just one set, the Scot will need to assemble another explanation.

He will not meet Nadal, after the Spaniard, battling against a thigh injury, succumbed to a straight-sets defeat to compatriot David Ferrer yesterday.

Given the form of thirdseed Novak Djokovic, he might not encounter Federer either, as this morning’s semi-final between the two players looks too close to call.

As a result, Murray may never have a better opportunity to end Britain’s 75-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion.

That is not to underestimate Ferrer, the world number seven and a player who had Nadal in obvious trouble during yesterday’s first set, before his opponent’s injury problems gathered pace.

Ferrer has developed into much more than a doughty clay-courter in recent years, and boasts a 3-2 head-to-head record over Murray.

Their last meeting, however, saw Murray complete a facile 6-2,6-2 win at London’s O2 last November, and the Scot will start as a worthy favourite tomorrow.

It is also not to underplay the strengths of Djokovic, who has been every bit as impressive as Murray in the early stages of the tournament, or to ignore the likelihood of Federer slipping effortlessly through the gears to set up a repeat of last year’s final, a one-sided encounter that saw Murray slip to a straight-sets defeat.

Nevertheless, the path to glory has rarely appeared smoother, and Murray’s performances in his first five matches have oozed the kind of quality and confidence that will be required to secure two more victories.

Subtle adaptations in his style have been apparent, with Murray displaying an aggression and willingness to dominate rallies that has not always been evident in the past.

There is always the risk that, up against superior opposition, he will revert to the passivity that has hampered him in previous Grand Slam finals and semifinals, where he has often been found wanting.

But if yesterday’s composed display against Alexandr Dolgopolov is anything to go by, the British number one appears to have accepted a need to play on the front foot rather than rely on his admittedlyeffective defence.

Murray’s counterpunching style serves him well against inferior opponents, who tend to play straight into his hands by over-committing. The Federers and Djokovics of this world do not do that, and to overcome them, it is important to dictate the pace and tempo of rallies, rather than simply responding to what is happening on the other side of the net.

Murray is gradually tinkering with his game to enable him to do that, and his modifications have undoubtedly been helped by the improvements to his serve that have been apparent in the last 12 months.

The pace of serve has increased marginally, but it is the increased level of control that has enabled Murray to seize the initiative at an early stage of proceedings and shorten the average length of a point as a result.

His forehand remains as potent a weapon as ever, but then Murray has always possessed the range of shots required to win a Grand Slam.

His physical strength has also been a given in recent years, with the 23-year-old displaying few of the frailties that plagued him in the early stages of his career, so it can only be the mental side of the game that has held him back at the very highest level.

The signs from the opening week-and-a-half of the Australian Open are that Murray’s mindset has changed. With the draw having opened up invitingly, could this be the moment when he makes history?