The Scot faces the world No.1 in the last four for the second successive year and the second grand slam in a row, and declared he is prepared for the ultimate mental and physical battle. Murray has made smooth progress to date, with a fourth set tie-break against Ivan Ljubicic possibly his most testing moment.
And after breezing past Feliciano Lopez in straight sets in the quarter-finals, he is confident he has the game plan to beat Nadal.
‘I’d rather be fresh and ready mentally to play against Rafa,’ said Murray, who hit with Davis Cup team-mate Colin Fleming yesterday. ‘I feel comfortable. But I don’t expect to feel comfortable in the next match.
‘I know I’m going to have to go through moments where I’m struggling, where Rafa hits some unbelievable shots, and I have to come back from behind sometimes. You have to be prepared for all that stuff.
‘Some people think you have to blast through him and go for everything, but you have to be patient. You can’t just leave the ball in the middle of the court against Rafa but at the same time trying to hit winners off the first shot of the rally just doesn’t work.
‘It’s all about understanding what he’s going to do, and what I’m going to do to neutralise his strengths.’
And as Murray bids to end his grand slam duck, the feat of beating Nadal would be ideal motivation. The 24-year-old added: ‘It will give me more than enough belief that I can go on and win the tournament.’
Meanwhile, Nadal will play through the discomfort of a left foot injury picked up against Juan Martin Del Potro thanks to pain-killing injections.
Nadal added: ‘I’m not worried about anything now because I know what’s going on.
‘With the anaesthetic there I don’t feel anything, I don’t feel the pain.’
And as Murray bids to end his grand slam duck, the feat of beating Nadal would be ideal motivation. The 24-year-old added: ‘It will give me more than enough belief that I can go on and win the tournament.’
Meanwhile, Nadal will play through the discomfort of a left foot injury picked up against Juan Martin Del Potro thanks to pain-killing injections.
Nadal added: ‘I’m not worried about anything now because I know what’s going on.
‘With the anaesthetic there I don’t feel anything, I don’t feel the pain.’
