Great Scot? Steve Bierley's Guide to How Andy Murray Can Improve

First Serve

Murray has developed this into a potent weapon that can win him a lot of cheap points. Against Fernando ­Verdasco he served seven aces and his percentage was good. It is still not as consistent as he would like, though.

Second Serve

This remains attackable, but it is also improving. Murray is such a good returner that when his serve is going well he is extremely difficult to beat; he must work hard to attain greater variation.

Ground strokes

One of Murray's great strengths is his ability to mix up the pace and destroy his opponent's rhythm and he is one of the most interesting players to watch, simply because he has so much variety. But that can also cause problems. Because Murray has such good hands, and can turn defence into attack in an instant, he sometimes overdoes the complexity when he could finish points more quickly. He has the necessary power on his forehand and his backhand, but on occasions he is inclined to keep too much in reserve.

Fitness

Murray has worked immensely hard – too hard, some have suggested. That may have left his body open to the sort of illness he picked up in Australia. However there is little evidence for this. He had won all of his previous five-set matches – the last two from two sets down – since Rafael Nadal beat him here over five in 2007. More immediately, Murray needs to work on his body language when he is feeling the strain. Roger Federer knew Murray was shattered in the final of the US Open last year and Nikolay Davydenko could see the Scot was exhausted in the semi-final of the subsequent Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, the Scot having beaten Federer the previous day.

Temperament

Murray has matured on and off the court. He now speaks fluently and thoughtfully about his matches and rarely loses his control when playing. He does not needlessly expend emotional energy, as he once did.

Experience

Despite having risen to No4 in the world behind Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic, Murray's experience is still relatively limited, after he missed the French Open and Wimbledon in 2007 with a wrist injury. The past eight months have seen him move to a different level and he will need to adjust to the added stress, and the demands on his time.

Can he win a major?

Murray's best surface is hard and he has always believed that the US Open is his best chance of winning a slam, having won the junior title at Flushing Meadows and having reached the final last year. He is also comfortable on grass, which, combined with the home support, gives him the edge over most leading players. That means winning Wimbledon is also a realistic target.

Murray's verdict

"For me this defeat is not a disaster. I'm still playing well, and I lost to a good player in a very close match [Overall Murray won one more point than Verdasco]. I'll have more chances to win grand slams"