Murray looking to repay faith shown in him by close family

BRITISH No 1 Andy Murray wants to win the Australian Open for his family.

The 22-year-old Scot is aiming to claim his maiden grand slam success after beating 14th seed Marin Cilic 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 in Thursday's semi-final at Rod Laver Arena.

Murray will play long-time rival Roger Federer in tomorrow's showpiece.

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With two days to prepare, the weight of expectation on the fifth seed froim Dunblane to end Britain's 74-year wait for a male grand slam champion is likely to build.

Murray, of course, is desperate to end that barren spell but admitted his motivation is for his family first.

"I want to win it for the people that I work with, for my parents who helped me when I was growing up," said Murray, whose mother Judy has been a permanent fixture among his court-side entourage.

"Then I want to do it for British tennis, and for British sport as well would be excellent.

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"But the pressure that I feel doesn't come from the people that are around me.

"They obviously are happy with anything that I do. But I want to win for them first."

Murray does not expect the pressure from Britain to weigh too heavily on him in any case this weekend, simply because of the distance from home

"You don't really feel it that much," he said.

"Wimbledon is a bit different, especially in the lead-up to the tournament. But when you're away you don't take any notice of it.

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"There are no newspapers that I would read over here. It's not really on the TV that much.

"So I'll just kind of avoid it."

It will be the second time Murray will play in the final of a major after he was beaten by Federer at the 2008 US Open in straight sets.

On that occasion rain in New York had forced Murray to play his semi-final against Rafael Nadal over two days and he did not finish until the day before the final.

This time Murray will have had more than 48 hours to prepare and, while he admitted he will have to find ways to occupy himself, he is happier with this scenario.

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"I'd rather be in this position than what happened at the US Open," he said.

"I played three days in a row. In a slam, that almost never happens to anyone.

"So, physically, I'm going to be in good shape, that's for sure.

"I just need to make sure that I practise properly the next few days, practise enough.

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

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The last Briton to reach an Australian Open final was John Lloyd, who was beaten by Vitas Gerulaitis in five sets in 1977.

The Davis Cup captain has been a long-time advocate of Murray's ability to end British tennis's seven-decade wait for a men's grand slam champion.

"Federer is the man to beat but Andy can win, there is no doubt about it," said Lloyd.

"Federer has been impressive at times but perhaps not as much as in the past and there is no doubt now that Andy has the weapons to exploit areas of Roger's game you can get at.

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"His awareness around the court has been so good in this event, he's picked apart his opponents and he's been very aggressive when he needs to be.

"He's been very smart and his court movement has been exceptional.

"There is an aura and a confidence about him which transcends to his opponents. It's one heck of an achievement for him. He's proved he can handle the pressure."

Where Lloyd failed to end the search for a grand slam winner in 1977, Virginia Wade went one better, memorably winning the Wimbledon women's singles title later that year.

"He's got such a great opportunity," Wade said of Murray.

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"I do think some of the top players like Roger have started to understand how Andy plays. Now it's down to hard work and being prepared to really dig deep."

Greg Rusedski was the last Briton before Murray to reach a grand slam final when he was beaten by Pat Rafter in the 1997 US Open final.

The Canadian-born left-hander lost to Rafter in four sets and stressed the importance of the Scot making a fast start tomorrow.

Rusedski said: "The most important thing is going to be the start. When they faced each other in the US Open, Andy came in a little bit tentative.

"If he does that again, that will not be good.

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"Andy believes he belongs with the very best, he believes he's going to win a slam.

"It's a 50-50 right now where Fed's slightly edging it but he will win one one day."

Rafael Nadal, beaten by Murray in the quarter-finals, added: "I think for sure he has a big chance.

"He's playing really well. He's a very complete player.

"Every grand slam is special and every grand slam is important to win.

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"For Andy, I think he deserves to win his first grand slam and he is gonna do it."

How the match will be won or lost

Game

Murray's great strength can also be his greatest weakness. The 22-year-old has used his repertoire of shots to the full in Melbourne, showing particular intelligence in his victories over towering American John Isner and defending champion Rafael Nadal, who at times appeared to dancing to Murray's tune. The Scot mixes spins and paces better than anyone in the game and is a master at using angles, while his speed around the court is up there with the best. His first serve is a big weapon but can be unreliable and his second serve has a tendency to sit up.

Federer has arguably the most complete game tennis has seen. His serve is often underrated – as is his supreme fitness – because there is so much else to appreciate but it is certainly one of his biggest weapons. His forehand is his stronger wing and he is equally at home hitting winners crosscourt or down the line. His backhand is also a fierce shot, although he certainly makes more errors on his groundstrokes than he used to, while he volleys as well as anyone.

Tactics

Murray has been accused of being too passive in the big matches, including the US Open final against Federer. He can have a tendency to hit his groundstrokes too short and allow his opponent to take charge of the rallies. He loves counter-punching but it is a dangerous tactic and he has been caught out in the past by giving his opponent the chance to find their best form. He has adopted a more aggressive approach this fortnight and turned things around after a slow start against Marin Cilic in the semi-finals.

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Federer always adopts aggressive tactics and likes nothing better than hitting winners. He takes the ball extremely early, especially on his forehand, which ensures his opponent has no chance to respond. However, he does have a tendency to throw in occasional poor games and Murray must exploit these if he is to win. Federer gives himself little margin for error so, when the pressure is on, he can start to spray balls around.

History

Nerves are bound to be a factor for Murray in only his second grand slam final with the weight of expectation and past British failure both bearing down on him. He has looked tight in a lot of his big matches over the past year or so and that has contributed to his negative approach. The Scot likes playing Federer, though, and has a winning record against him.

Federer's grand slam record is second to none and he loves winning on the big stage.

He has won three times in Australia before but last year's final against Rafael Nadal, when he crumbled in the final set and broke down in tears, may have an effect.

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There were questions about his motivation when he won the French Open for the first time and then broke Pete Sampras's grand slam record before becoming a father to twins but he still appears to love the tennis life. He has struggled to find his best form against Murray in the past but, when it really mattered at the US Open, he did not put a foot wrong.

Baldwin, hitler, and the blades at wembley...

what life was like when perry won in 1936

1936: Fred Perry wins the US Open

n Stanley Baldwin, was in his third spell as Prime Minister. After governing the country twice before, Baldwin changed places with Ramsay MacDonald, who at the age of 70 found his physical powers beginning to fail him.

n A loaf of bread cost the equivalent of 2p and a pint of beer the equivalent of 14p.

n Arsenal won the 1936 FA Cup final thanks to a 1-0 win over Second Division Sheffield United at Wembley with Ted Drake scoring the goal.

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n Host nation Germany topped the medal table at the 1936 Olympics, registering nine more golds than runners-up United States.

Great Britain came 10th in the standings.

n 1936 saw the BBC launch the first high definition television service, while in America the Hoover Dam was completed and began to generate hydroelectric power. In Germany Adolf Hitler announced the building of Volkswagens.