No fear. Andy Murray stands on the brink of personal and national glory. The 22-year-old Scot is one match away from being the first Briton to play the Wimbledon�s men final since Bunny Austin in 1938.

No fear. Andy Murray stands on the brink of personal and national glory. The 22-year-old Scot is one match away from being the first Briton to play the Wimbledon's men final since Bunny Austin in 1938. He is two matches from being the first man from these islands to win the championships since Fred Perry in 1936.

Yet he remains calm, focused. It is not an act. Prolonged exposure to the world No.3 imparts one lesson: Murray does not entertain apprehension, does not harbour fear.

He walks at his own pace, though the tennis world tries to spin him forward. Murray faces Andy Roddick today for a place in the Wimbledon final. There is enough in that match to whet the appetite. A big server against the best returner, the young gun facing down the man who has been here and done it, reaching two Wimbledon finals.

But the questioning drifts dangerously beyond the tie with the American. Roger Federer is a constant presence at Wimbledon. He has no need to restate his credentials as a likely champion but the Swiss player was contemptuous in his dismissal of Ivo Karlovic in three sets.

It was a performance of substantial class but it did not disturb Murray.

"I saw a little bit of it. It was a pretty quick match," he said. The Scot was asked if it was better not to watch the world No.2 because he is playing so well. The answer came back with the speed of one of Murray's returns.

"No, I never go on the court fearing him or whoever it is," he said. "I will more than happily watch them and learn from what they do well. From what I saw, it wasn't the most exciting match I have watched but he hit some big returns and that is what you need to do against Karlovic. That is why he won comfortably."

Murray expanded on the theme of inner confidence.

"I have never gone on against anyone thinking I couldn't win against them," he said.

"You don't necessarily know the best way to play against them until you have come up against the best players. But every time I have played against Federer, I have felt like I have had a chance to beat him.

"But I understand I have to play great against him to win but I never thought it was the right attitude to go into a match not thinking you have got a chance."

Murray, though, neglected to mention he has beaten Federer in their past four meetings and holds a 6-2 record against the man who is bidding to win a record 15th grand slam. That does not mean he has forgotten about it, though.

The record bolsters an already healthy self-confidence. He said: "If you want to get to the top of your sport, you have got to think you can win against the best players in the world regardless of where you are ranked and how old you are and your experience. It might not happen, but I think it is always good to go in with the right attitude."

The Federer v Murray clash has two obstacles. One is Tommy Haas, who faces the Swiss in the semi-finals, the other is Roddick against whom Murray has a 6-2 winning record. "I have played well against him but the thing about playing him is that is tough. It can come down to a few points and how you play them kind of determines how the match will go," he said. "He is a very tough guy to beat especially on this surface because of his serve."

He pinpointed the key to the match. "A lot of it will come down to how I serve and how he returns because I don't want him to give any opportunities to get ahead in the sets and go a break up because that is when he plays his best tennis, when he is ahead and he can really go for his serve. Likewise he is going to have to return well to break me because I have been serving well."

Murray has chalked up a serve of 132mph, bludgeoning four opponents at Wimbledon, though he did struggle against Stanislas Wawrinka. That battle under the lights has been consigned to the past.

"If I play well and serve well, I know I have a chance of winning and that's what I will be focusing on," he said.

Murray is boldly going where Tim Henman has been before him. But Henman lost all four of his Wimbledon semi-finals and Roger Taylor was beaten in the two he played. The history lesson is lost on Murray. "For me it is not about what Tim did," he said. "I am trying to do something I have never done before. Making the semis is very good, but now I am going to try and go one step further. It is going to be a tough match against Roddick. But making the final of a grand slam, whether it is Wimbledon or any of the other ones, is a great achievement. But I have got to focus on the next match."

Murray, one of the game's great strategists, will have a plan to defeat the American. The setpieces of return and serve will have to be solid but Murray will know that if a rally develops then there will be only one winner.

The man from Dunblane has soared to the top of the world rankings on the back of exquisite talent but also on his ability to read an opponent. He will seek to expose flaws in Roddick's movement. Roddick, in turn, will trust in a serve that provided 43 aces against Lleyton Hewitt, an excellent returner. This amounts to almost 11 games of aces. Murray cannot afford to give up this advantage. He will have to be at his best when he is on the receiving end of Roddick's bombs.

The expectation is, though, that Murray can confirm his superiority over the American. But his confidence should not be mistaken for complacency. Murray is completely detached from everything bar winning tennis matches. He was asked about the viewing figures for his matches as the Wawrinka tussle was watched by almost 12 million viewers. He used the words "awesome" and "impressive". But he stated quietly: "I will reflect more on it when the tournament is finished. I am just trying to stay away from everything that has been going on off the court."

He will talk about Federer, he will dismiss the hype, he will discuss tactics. But the focus is on Roddick. The American stands between Murray and a dream.

The sporting nation will hold its breath this afternoon. Yesterday, crowds were gathering outside SW19 for the chance to sit on Henman Hill or Murray Mound as it will be today. Murray is delighted at the support but is ready to go to work.

Would you queue to watch you, he was asked.

"No, I probably wouldn't. But I see myself enough," he said. The humour survives.

It will be all business today.