• Chris Wilkinson

Murray's mental mystery

Andy Murray won his second title of the year in Shanghai © Getty Images

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For the second time in less than two months Andy Murray beat Roger Federer in a final of a Masters series event. For Murray, the victory comes at the perfect time as he looks to end the season on a high.

There is no doubt about Murray's physical fitness - he has played fewer matches than any other player in the top ten this season, and he needs to make that count in the coming weeks. The problem with Murray is his mental state.

Murray's performance in Shanghai was solid, but not spectacular. But the difference was that he was focused. That was the real difference between Murray and Federer in the final - I don't think Federer played particularly well but at the same time Murray didn't allow him to.

Murray has been all over the place this year and in Shanghai it was the first time since Canada that he had his mental game there. He's been blowing hot and cold all season, maybe the coach issue has been affecting him more than he will admit, but his psychological state in Shanghai was as good as it has been all season.

I wouldn't say he has changed his game tactically - he played to his strengths well but he was mentally strong and that made all the difference.

But the question is still whether Murray can step up and transfer that to a grand slam. The difference between Murray and the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is that the others can raise their games at grand slams, whereas it seems that Murray isn't able to do that yet. It's all very well being able to win a Masters event over a week - best-of-three sets, but at a grand slam, over a fortnight, best-of-five sets, Murray doesn't do enough and he still needs to up his game a notch. The difference is that Nadal and Federer can go to another level when it comes to the grand slams and that's what Murray needs to learn to do.

Confidence is a massive factor, and if he can end the season on a high it will make a big difference. He needs to make sure he goes into the Australian Open in the best possible shape, but more crucially he needs to be mentally fit. If he can do well in Paris and then of course at the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in London he will be able to have another good shot at it in Melbourne.

But the question is whether he has enough to do it. He had a good chance at the 2008 US Open, he should have won a grand slam last year, and this year he came so close. The longer it goes on, the more doubt will creep into his mind and the harder it will become for him.

Confidence breeds confidence. If you start winning games you go on court with more belief and the more you win, the more you begin to feel like you can't lose. It is all very well some players taking long breaks between tournaments, but no matter how much training you have been doing you can't replace what you get from playing and winning matches.

You have to get the balance right between form and fitness. Novak Djokovic is a classic example of that. He did well at the US Open and was high on confidence. He had a couple of weeks off to recharge his batteries and then won the China Open. Murray can learn from that and take advantage of the fact that Nadal always seems to struggle at the end of the year.

Nadal has played a huge amount of tennis this year and has achieved more than he could have expected. Three grand slams, seven titles in total and some Davis Cup tennis in there as well. I am sure he wants to do well in London but he will already be thinking about the Australian Open and whether he can complete the 'Rafa Slam' and become only the third man to hold all four slams at once.

Novak Djokovic has been in impressive form in recent weeks © Getty Images

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It wouldn't surprise me if Nadal's attitude towards Masters series events has changed this year. After all that he has achieved this year, like Federer he will begin to be geared more towards the slams. While Masters events are still important, I think it will take the edge off a bit, especially in Paris next month when he is going to be quite tired from his exploits.

Watching Federer against Murray on Sunday he has lost his edge - there is no way he would have missed some of those shots if it was a grand slam final. He had six break points and failed to convert a single one when you would normally expect him to win at least 50%.

So Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray have all qualified for the finals in London next month and there are four more places up for grabs. Robin Soderling and Tomas Berdych are both in action in Stockholm this week and are on course to make it.

David Ferrer has had a really good season and he is almost certain to qualify, but Andy Roddick looks like he might miss out again. Roddick is currently in eighth but he was forced to retire from Shanghai with an abductor muscle injury and it looks like it might be the end of his season - I would be surprised if Roddick makes it. Fernando Verdasco, Mikhail Youzhny, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jurgen Melzer are all in with a chance. If Verdasco and Ferrer both get in it could be a very strong Spanish influence to the tournament.

It wouldn't be surprising really given the year the Spaniards have had. There have been 19 titles won by eight different men this season. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez have all won silverware has been really impressive in recent weeks and he is the Spanish No. 6 - he won in Thailand the other week having beaten Nadal in the semi-finals - it just goes to show the phenomenal depth in Spanish tennis.

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1

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