Weight of expectation hangs easy on Murray

The ticking clock of 24/7 news means it has been re-written as a victory that places a formidable pressure on Andy Murray. The narrative now insists that with Nadal out, the Scot will bow under the weight of expectation. It is a curious twist.

No journalist was privy to the Scot's reactions when he watched Lucas Rosol of the Czech Republic blast out the Spaniard who was scheduled to be Murray's semi-final opponent but I would venture to suggest that the world No.4 is bearing up well under the grief of his Mallorcan mate booking an early flight home. Nadal, after all, has beaten him three times at Wimbledon, including in the past two semi-finals.

The argument, expressed volubly by some press men yesterday, is that Murray will now stumble. A valid argument can be made that the he may not reach the final. Indeed as Rosol showed so dramatically, there may be a fatal upset today against Marcos Baghdatis or later against possible opponents that could include Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

However, the bottom line is that the aggregate of years of playing, winning and gathering ranking points means Murray is now seeded to make the final. This will increase his focus rather than send his mental processes into disarray. His attitude, on and off court, is hugely encouraging to his supporters and his game is at a high level.

Those who fear that the 25-year-old Scot is now a quivering wreck may have been dissuaded of their views by the briefest look at Murray at Aorangi Park yesterday. Murray, stretched and strained by the demands of defeating Ivo Karlovic on Thursday, turned the practice court into a relaxed occasion. He hit with Oliver Golding, the US Open junior champion, with Dani Vallverdu, his travelling coach, Ivan Lendl, his full-time coach, and Leon Smith, head of men's and women's tennis at the lawn Tennis Association, all prowling around the court.

Just beyond the mesh fence sat Judy Murray, fitness staff, agents and a special guest. Cora Erskine, Murray's young cousin, sprinted to the gate when the session was finished and jumped up into his arms. The subsequent smiles and cuddles were a quiet testament to a relaxed Murray who also later joked with Miles Maclagan, coach of Baghdatis, who was giving a television interview nearby. The Scot's demeanour, words and actions were not those of a man at the end of his tether.

Murray, too, has shown his strength on court. The smooth, facile victory over Nikolay Daydenko in the first round was followed by a tight, tense and gruelling shoot-out with Karlovic. Murray displayed the range of his game in both matches and exhibited a psychological stability, particularly in the match against the Croat. "Mentally so far it has been good and I need to keep it up," said the Scot.

The next challenge comes in the chunky shape of Baghdatis, who reached the Australian Open final of 2006 and the Wimbledon semi-finals of the same year, beating a young Murray en route. The 27-year-old Cypriot, once a top 10 player, is now ranked 42 in the world.

Baghdatis is coached by Maclagan, who once sat in Murray's corner, but the situation carries no concern for the Scot.

"I'm sure he will have some tactics for Marcos to try to use against me in the match. He will have made sure Marcos has worked hard and is in good shape because that was what I got out of him when we worked together. From a coach's point of view it is easy to say try this or try that but it is a whole different story when you are on court.

"That's why I don't think it will make a huge difference when we play the match. I will be doing things Marcos might not be expecting."

The perception of Murray by those in the locker room is that he carries a formidable threat. Mardy Fish, the American ranked 12th in the world, was asked before Nadal's defeat of the pre-eminence of the triumvirate of the Spaniard, Noval Djokovic and Roger Federer. He said: "You can even throw Murray into that nowadays. He hasn't won any slams, but he's won a lot of big events. They all do an amazing job of staying healthy and staying invested in what they need to do. That's one of the hardest parts, is just sort of staying committed and staying focused."

Of the world No.4's strongest attribute, Fish added: "Andy Murray is one of the fittest guys out here, so you just really feel like, no matter the conditions, he's going to be a really tough out."

Murray now attempts to stay in for another week and a day. His only comment on the implications of the defeat of Nadal was sober, straightforward.

"It is one of those things which is completely irrelevant to me unless I reach the semi-final. I have got a guy who has been in a grand slam final. Maybe tomorrow Baghdatis has a performance like Rosol."

He added: "You could say the draw has opened up for Philip Kohlschreiber or Jo-Wilfied Tsonga."

Everyone can say a lot of things. And they will. Murray knows, though, he has the chance to make history.