Murray hoping for off-key Nadal

SCOT SEEKS FIRST WIN AGAINST Spaniard IN TODAY’s US OPEN SEMI-FINAL

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History may not be on Andy Murray’s side, but the British number one will go into today’s US Open semi-final intent on making a little of his own.

The 21-year-old Scot has not beaten new world number one Rafael Nadal in any of their five meetings to date.

Yet, as sixth-seeded Murray prepares for the first grand slam semi-final of his career, his Spanish opponent handed him a confidence boost.

Having come from a set down to defeat unseeded American Mardy Fish on Thursday in New York, Nadal admitted he was not at the peak of his powers and needed to find some form.

The Spaniard, who is looking to add a third grand slam title this year to his French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic triumphs, said: “I’m not playing like two or three weeks ago in Beijing.

“But if you’re in the semi-finals, there has to be something good there. The important thing I have another match for try to improve a little bit more.

“I hope be at 100% for the semi-finals.”

Today’s clash, should it escape the gloomy forecasts of heavy rain, will be just as much a milestone in Nadal’s career as Murray’s.

The Spaniard is also making his first appearance in the last four of the US Open, completing a sweep of reaching the semi-finals of all four grand slams in 2008.

For Murray, another parallel from which to draw encouragement is that Nadal’s only defeat in the majors came at the Australian Open, when the victor was last-four debutant Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Yet, the Scot is concentrating on his own improvement at the end of a year that has brought three tournament victories, including his first Masters Series success in Cincinnati, as well as wins over both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

It has led Murray to revise the goals he set for himself at the start of 2008. “I wanted to try to make the Masters Cup this year, and I obviously missed that by one match last year, even though I missed three and a half months with the wrist injury,” the British number one said.

“So I’m happy that I’m pretty sure I’ve confirmed myself in the Masters Cup. But I think how you do in slams is how you’re remembered in tennis, and I wanted to improve my record in them.”

Regardless of the result against Nadal, Murray will move up two places in the world rankings to number four.