• What the Deuce

Time for Murray to make his mark on 2010

Andy Murray has been plagued by inconsistency this season © Getty Images

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Andy Murray is turning out to be a bookmaker's nightmare. Lacklustre defeats to Philipp Kohlschreiber, Mardy Fish and Janko Tipsarevic have been peppered with wins over Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, not to mention two Masters titles.

Just a week after his below-par defeat to Ivan Ljubicic at the China Open in Beijing, Murray returned to top form in Shanghai.

After securing his place at the year-end ATP World Tour Finals in London next month, Murray capped off an impressive week with a convincing victory over Roger Federer to win his second title of the year.

Given the emphatic nature of Federer's victories over Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic in the previous rounds, most people would have put their money on the 16-time grand slam champion to match Rafael Nadal's record of 18 Masters 1000 titles.

But never one to read the script, Murray outplayed the man who has twice denied him grand slam glory to claim victory. Could it be that the British No. 1 is hitting a run of form as the season reaches its conclusion?

The four men who have already qualified for London - Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray - have been the world's top four players for well over two years. And while last year Juan Martin del Potro's US Open victory and Nikolay Davydenko's impressive end-of year form threw the draw wide open, it is almost certainly going to be a four-way battle.

In the Premier League, the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City are starting to apply pressure on the established 'big four' of recent years, but in tennis the gulf between the top four and the rest of the field is as large as it has ever been.

Discounting the two spring hard-court tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, every Masters 1000 title this season has been won by one of the top four, and of course Nadal has virtually wiped the floor with the grand slams.

It sets up an intriguing battle in London - and there seems to be no indicator of who will come out strongest at the O2 Arena.

Rafael Nadal has played 76 matches already this season © Getty Images

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The season has undoubtedly belonged to Nadal, but whether he can maintain his relentless energy for another six weeks remains to be seen. Surprise defeats to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Jurgen Melzer suggest his exploits have taken their toll but one thing is for sure - you can never write off the Spaniard.

Djokovic on the other hand is having a late-season revival. He has finally nailed his serve, and is riding high after his US Open final appearance and victory in Beijing. He was well beaten by Federer in Shanghai, but he has hit top form in recent weeks and could be on course to win the title he claimed two years ago.

Federer demonstrated in Shanghai that he is still one of the best players in the world, but he is not the player that once dominated the men's game. He is capable of beating anyone on his day, but for the man who has been the model of consistency - no more evident than in his 23 consecutive grand slam semi-finals - his good days are becoming fewer and further between.

As for Murray, well, who knows? Just as it seems that the British No. 1 is hitting form, he suffers another surprising defeat.

Next up for Murray will be the Valencia Open, where he is the defending champion, followed by the final Masters event in Paris before the year-end championship. Whether Murray can sustain his current form to the end of the season remains to be seen, but he does have one card up his sleeve.

Batteries. The tennis season is a long, gruelling one, but Murray should have a lot more left in the tank than some of his rivals. Murray has played fewer matches this season than any other player in the top ten. With just 16 tournaments and 55 matches under his belt, Murray should still be feeling pretty fresh. While at times lack of match practice has not worked in Murray's favour, at this time of the season it could just prove to be critical. Nadal on the other hand, has played 76 matches in 2010 and would be excused for wanting to take things easy for a couple of months.

All four players will already have one eye on the Australian Open - albeit for very different reasons. But for now, they have London to focus their energies on, and it could be energy levels that proves to be the deciding factor at the O2 next month.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.