ANDY MURRAY goes into tonight's US Open final against Roger Federer knowing his winning record against the four-time defending champion will be meaningless in his first grand slam final.
The British No.1 and sixth seed played the match of his life to upset top seed Rafael Nadal in last night's conclusion of their rain-delayed semi-final and now meets former world No.1 Federer having won two of their three previous meetings.
All th
ree matches were on hardcourt with Federer winning their first encounter indoors in Bangkok in 2005 while Murray beat the then world No.1 in Cincinnati in 2006 and most recently in March in Dubai.
Murray will not be daunted by facing Federer but the Scot insisted their previous encounters will have little bearing on tonight's final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the Swiss star will be looking for his 35th consecutive victory at the US Open.
"Yeah, I've played well against him in the past," Murray said. "I think a slam final is different to the match that I played against him before.
"He's obviously won over 30 matches in a row here so he's obviously going to be feeling confident going in.
"He's got loads of experience in these situations and it's something new for me. I know I'm going to have to play great to have a chance of winning but I've played well the last couple of weeks."
Murray insisted he was amazed at the criticism Federer has received for a year which by any other player's standards would be considered a stunning success. "I think he played well at the start (of the US Open] and then had obviously a tough match with (Igor] Andreev," the 21-year-old added.
"I mean, he made the final at Wimbledon, the final of the French Open, the semis of the Australian Open, and he's in the final here.
"It's an unbelievable run and I don't understand why everyone thinks he's not playing well. He's played unbelievable in the best tournaments and he's in the final for the fifth straight year here. It's a ridiculous run. I think he's playing great. I just think the level of tennis has got better."
Asked to describe the biggest similarities and differences between the two finalists, Murray pointed to Federer's greater aggression.
"I think we're quite natural tennis players. I think with our hands we're pretty gifted.
"And then things that are different? I think he plays a more aggressive style right now than me. He'll look to come forward a bit more.
"I think when we're returning, I play a bit more defensive on the return games. I try to put a lot of returns back, whereas he maybe tries to go for a bit more on his returns. Those are the main differences."
As to whether Murray can make the difference tonight and win his first grand slam title – bringing an end to another dominant reign by Federer – the Scot said he would need to be consistent.
"I played well enough to beat the number one player in the world over two days and I've beaten Roger in the past.
"I think it's more I have the tennis to compete with those guys. I just have to make sure I do it for three out of five sets rather than for a set and a half, two sets."
The full article contains 575 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
