WHEN Andy Murray lost his first two Grand Slam finals, some sceptical voices suggested that, in the most fiercely competitive era men’s tennis has known, he might simply be not quite good enough to win one. By the time he lost his fourth, those voices had become a chorus of something approaching contempt.

He was a choker, said some. A loser, said others. Others still were less dismissive and perhaps more understanding of just how tough it is to win a major during a period that has been dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - yet even they tended to the gloomy conclusion that Murray was never quite going to get there.

This sceptical school of thought, incidentally, was by no means composed solely of the Scot’s detractors. Many of Murray’s admirers, their confidence eroded by those agonising defeats, also feared that he would never get his hands on even one of tennis’s four big trophies. And if memory serves, at least one major bookmaker was offering evens on the possibility that the regular finalist would never become at least a one-time winner.

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That fourth defeat was at Wimbledon in 2012, and followed losses in the US Open final of 2008 and the Australian Opens in 2010 and 2011. “I’m getting closer,” Murray said after that loss to Federer in SW19. He was - but, at a time when all the main contenders were improving year on year, would he ever get close enough?

Three majors and two Olympic gold medals later, we all know the answer to that one. And now, just as those sceptics used to insist he did not have what it takes, it is easy to come across people who assert with equal vehemence that they always knew Murray would do it.

Only they didn’t. The faithful didn’t know and the sceptics didn’t know and even Murray himself didn’t know. How could he? The future is unwritten.

But there was something that he knew better than almost anyone, and that was precisely how close he was getting to beating Federer or his other main rivals when it mattered most. Only the leading players themselves knew precisely how much effort they were putting into improving their game - and how much further they could push themselves.

In the case of Murray, whose tactical perspicacity has always been one of his greatest strengths, there was also the factor that every encounter with one of the big three gave him extra information and insight. And, while his unshakable self-belief was a vital factor in his eventual triumphs, so too was his commitment to an unflinching forensic examination of his own weaknesses as well as those of his opponents.

The similarities between an individual, non-contact sport like tennis and rugby may not be immediately obvious, but Murray’s career trajectory has come to feel increasingly relevant in recent weeks to Glasgow Warriors’ European campaign. True, the Warriors have a far more modest aim at present than winning a Grand Slam - they are merely bidding to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup for the first time - but the circumstances are certainly similar.

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Time after time, we have asked if this is going to be the year in which Glasgow get out of their pool and into the knockout stages. Time after time, the answer has been no.

It has been a dispiriting process for their supporters, and over the years many have no doubt been tempted to think their team was fated never to reach the last eight. Perhaps that was also the feeling when the draw for this year’s pools was made and Glasgow were drawn with two former winners, Munster and Leicester, and last year’s runners-up, Racing 92. Nonetheless, with one game to play, Gregor Townsend’s team are within touching distance: any kind of win over Leicester on Saturday and they are there.

The head coach’s painstaking perseverance has been vital in the Warriors’ refusal to admit defeat, but it goes without saying that every member of the squad has had his part to play, by embracing that same combination of self-belief and self-criticism that has served Murray so well. It is a very difficult balance to achieve, perhaps especially for those players such as Finn Russell who rely on individual inspiration; but it remains vital that they continue to embrace it if they are going to keep up their progress.

And Glasgow, like Murray back in 2012, are getting closer. They have often fallen out of contention by this time, but are now in a straight shootout against a team they have already beaten this season.

Of course, the minute they reach the quarter-finals, the Warriors will set their sights higher. Just as winning his first Olympic title set Murray up for his first Grand Slam win a few weeks later, so overcoming this most awkward of hurdles can inspire them to carry on to higher things.

They played badly against Munster last week but might still have snatched a win at the death. They know they can play a lot better on Saturday - and they know that if they do, they can at last recommence their upward march in Europe after appearing to have stalled for some time.