THERE is something different these days about Jamie Murray. He is happy, on and off the court and at long last, performing the way he always believed he could. Starting this weekend, for the first time in his career, he will strut his stuff at the O2 in the Barclays ATP World Tour finals and the following week, he will join brother Andy and the rest of Britain’s team as they bid for Davis Cup glory.

It’s a prospect that fills the 29-year-old only with excitement. Where once he might have worried about his ability to perform, now he exudes confidence, perhaps not surprisingly, after what has been the best year of his career. Two titles and two grand slam finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, have propelled him and Australian John Peers to the heady heights of London and they could yet finish the year higher than their current fourth place in the rankings. And his efforts alongside his brother Andy in beating France and Australia have taken Britain to a Davis Cup final against Belgium and to the verge of a victory few people believed was possible.

“I always felt like I wasn’t doing as well as I could have done,” said Jamie during some down time at the Paris Masters. “I always knew I had stuff in my game that was really good and things that needed to get better but I could see how it could get better.”

At the start of 2013, Jamie was struggling for form, his ranking had dropping and he was evaluating whether he really wanted to continue on the Tour. Without a regular partner, he was dispirited and disinterested. A chance arrangement with Peers, an Australian also ranked just inside the top 100 at the time, turned out to be a godsend, while the decision later that spring to start working again with famed doubles coach Louis Cayer, after a break of a couple of years, changed everything.

“He helped me so much and really helped me understand how my game style could work well. To trust in what I’ve got and not keep searching for things that aren’t necessarily there. I think my game’s improved a lot the last 18 months, especially my serve’s been a lot better. My return, it’s a lot different to what guys on the Tour do. I think for a long time I’d see the guys at the top of the game and everyone’s hitting huge serves, big returns, big forehands and backhands and I got caught up in [thinking] that’s what I need to do if I’m going to get to the top. It turns out I didn’t need to do that, thankfully.

“Now I’m at a point in my career where I really understand my game. I really trust in my game, I think I have a good presence on the court now, good level of calmness and just that ability to stay in the present, point by point, just play, play, play. And then what happens, happens. I think that’s been a big part in my success over the past year.”

It is a little strange, then, that the O2 will be the last time Murray and Peers play together with the Scot due to partner Brazil’s Bruno Soares in 2016 and beyond. “Obviously it’s risky stuff, especially with the year we’ve had,” Murray admitted. “We both wanted a bit of a change, a fresh start. Obviously we’ve had a great year, won a lot of matches, played some big matches, some big tournaments but I’m looking forward to playing with Bruno. I think he’ll be a great partner for me with his style of play.”

More immediately, there is the O2 and then the small matter of the Davis Cup final. “I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” he said. “I don’t think for us there is anything to be scared of. It’s just a great opportunity to go and play a Davis Cup final, go and enjoy it, go and show everyone the skills that you’ve got. If we win, amazing. If not, that’s life. But I look forward to it. I want to go out there and play.”

Murray has always enjoyed playing alongside his brother and seeing Andy at close hand has sharpened his appreciation of everything the world No.2 has achieved. “It is incredible what he’s able to do,” he said. “Playing the three matches back to back is unbelievably difficult. But also the pressure that he’s got on him, because he knows that if he doesn’t win we can’t really win. He’s desperate to win the Davis Cup. It’s a huge achievement for him and it would be a great thing for him to have in his career. You can see how much he wants it in the way that he plays and fights for the team.”

For Jamie, sharing the experience with Andy is just the icing on the cake. “I never really feel inferior on the court. He lets me do what I want to do on the court. I know that my match skills will match up well with him. I guess maybe it’s different for people who are playing us now. They know that I’m playing in grand slam finals, playing Tour finals, winning proper tournaments that mean things. It’s not like I’m a weak link in the partnership.”