• ATP World Tour Finals

Can Andy Murray ever reach the very top again?

Andy Murray's 6-0 6-1 defeat to Roger Federer matched his worst loss at Tour level © Getty Images

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Coming into the World Tour Finals, Andy Murray said a victory over Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer would be the last hurdle for him to overcome in his bid to return to top form, and he was given that chance against Federer on Thursday night.

Instead of showing he was back to his best, he capitulated. Needing to win in straight sets to reach the last four in London, Murray suffered a humiliating 6-0 6-1 defeat at the O2 Arena.

It matched the worst defeat of his career at Tour level, against Novak Djokovic in Miami seven years ago. He didn't even win a game until he was 6-0 5-0 down.

The defeat caps a miserable record for Murray in 2014 against his main rivals, Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. At the end of 2014 his record against the top three players in the world reads: 0-9.

Federer has beaten him three times this year: in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the Cincinnati Masters, and now in London; Djokovic has beaten him four times: in Miami, at the US Open, in Beijing and Paris; against Nadal, it is two defeats from two matches, in Rome and at Roland Garros, where the semi-final demolition was brutal.

Despite a recent upturn in form, which saw Murray claim titles in Shenzhen, Vienna and Valencia during a late six-week surge to qualify for London, he is still struggling to beat the very best.

Murray wasn't failing against his biggest rivals prior to his back surgery in September 2013 so the question must be asked: can he ever get to very top level again?

Roger Federer admitted he felt "uncomfortable" during his 6-0 6-1 rout of Andy Murray © Getty Images

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Asked how far away he felt from Federer, Nadal and Djokovic after his latest defeat, Murray said: "Well, after tonight that's quite clear, quite a long way from that level.

"But a lot can change in a matter of weeks and months. Roger is a good example of that. Last year he was having some struggles with his body. A lot of questions were asked about him. He's responded and gone into the last tournament of the year with an opportunity to get to No.1.

"I'm not happy to finish the year with that record. But hopefully next year, if I get the right work done now, I can get myself off to a good start. I hope that come Australia I'll be a much better player."

Federer, too, feels Murray is going through a crisis of confidence similar to the one which plagued him in 2013.

"I guess we've had some similar issues in the last couple of years," Federer said. "You just tend to be up and down, especially against the top players.

"There's that little bit of doubt maybe that you need to play unbelievably well and the other guy you hope he doesn't play his best. Only then maybe you can get it done.

"Maybe he has those kind of confidence issues. I went through exactly the same last year. It's like an up‑and‑down battle. Every point is complicated. Every day is complicated. At the same time you do have your good days, you have your okay days. But they're not so often.

"The off‑season is going to be big for Andy. I'm confident for him that next year he's going to be much more solid throughout, he's going to be happier in the process, and he's going to be playing better tennis."

After sealing his qualification for London in Paris, Murray signed a camera lens with a playful message reading "Bad year!" - but how did it really rate?

Murray and Amelie Mauresmo's partnership got off to a slow start with a second-round exit at Queen's © Getty Images

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Until Shenzhen in September, Murray hadn't won a title since beating Djokovic for the Wimbledon crown in 2013 - his last win over one of the 'big three'. After that Wimbledon triumph, he didn't beat a top 10 player until seeing off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at this year's US Open.

Murray's three title wins during the Asia and Europe swings seemed to signal a man back to his best, though. "I wanted him to feel what it was like to finish the week without losing," reflected his coach Amelie Mauresmo, under the guidance of whom he has hardly hit the ground running .

The Scot finishes with two defeats from three matches at the O2 Arena, and it should not be forgotten he had to take on those extra tournaments just to get there rather than, as in recent seasons, qualifying without fuss.

"The first three, four months were tough," Murray said, when asked to sum up his season. "It was hard. Going through surgery isn't easy. Maybe I didn't appreciate that so much at the time. I found it quite frustrating at the beginning of the year. And in the middle of that period I stopped working with Ivan [Lendl].

"It's something that I've had to go through. I'll look back on it, and I've definitely learnt a lot this year about my body, what it's like to come back from a tough, tough surgery. I'll spend more time taking care of my body, making sure I don't have to go through that again."

If he can stay strong and find a groove in his relatively new partnership with Mauresmo then, who knows, but the time for transitions is over. With Djokovic looking as if he will stay at the peak of his powers, the time has come for Murray to deliver once again.

Murray cut a frustrated figure as he surrendered his title at Wimbledon in the quarter-finals © PA Photos

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