ANDY Murray believes he could still be considered a success at the end of his career even if he fails to win a grand slam.

The 22-year-old world No 4 is in the early stages of a blossoming career which has already seen him reach the final of the 2008 US Open, when he lost to record grand slam winner Roger Federer.

But Murray, who arrived in Perth yesterday to begin his preparations for the Australian Open, has warned the presence of greats such as Federer and Rafael Nadal may prevent him from ever realising his ambition of claiming a major success.

‘‘This is one of, if not the toughest era in tennis,’’ he said.

‘‘You can play great and not win right now because of how good the other players are.

‘‘I’ll try my best to win a grand slam, that’s my goal, but I still think you can be successful in tennis even if you don’t win one.

‘‘Having said that, I would be disappointed if I didn’t.’’ The Scot indicated the fierce competition in men’s tennis was also a key reason for his decision to skip Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie in Lithuania in March.

Murray defended his decision by pointing out his rivals have all opted to skip the competition in the past and denied he had turned his back on the British team after their slump into the Europe-Africa Zone Group Two.

‘‘It would be a bit unfair to single me out,’’ he said.

‘‘Federer has missed Davis Cup matches, Rafa (Nadal) has missed Davis Cup matches, as have Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. A lot better players than me have missed Davis Cup matches.

‘‘I don’t think it’s a case of me abandoning Great Britain.

‘‘You’ve got to do what is right for your tennis. That period of the year just before Indian Wells and Miami is very important for me.

‘‘I’ve got a lot of rankings points to defend. I think it’s the right decision.’’ Murray has been outspoken about the need for young British players to develop on the international stage and believes his decision will offer them that opportunity.

‘‘I think now is a good time for the younger guys to get a chance of playing Davis Cup matches and winning them,’’ he said. ‘‘We are in quite a low group now.

‘‘When I do play and we lose, I don’t feel like it really benefits the other players.

‘‘I think it’s been ten years since a British player outside myself, Tim (Henman) and Greg (Rusedski) won a live Davis Cup rubber.

‘‘It’s time for the guys to get used to winning in the Davis Cup rather than having so much pressure on them every time they play.’’ Murray is ironically preparing to represent Great Britain at the Hopman Cup in Perth, where he will team up with former junior Wimbledon champion Laura Robson.

The round-robin format ensures Murray will play at least three singles games, while also allowing him a chance to acclimatise to the Australian conditions and courts.

‘‘The bonus of a tournament like this is I get three games and I can train through it as well,’’ he said.

Britain’s first tie is against Kazakhstan today, when Murray will play the world number 133 Andrey Golubev before facing Russia’s Igor Andreev.