Australian Open, Melbourne
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 17-30 January
Coverage: Watch on BBC TV, Red Button, BBC Sport website (UK only) & Eurosport; listen on BBC 5 live sports extra and online; text commentary online; full details

By Kheredine Idessane BBC Scotland in Melbourne

"If I play garbage in my next match, a good first week won't count for anything."

It is the kind of grounded, level-headed approach that has helped a young lad from Dunblane rise as high as number two in the world tennis rankings, an achievement completely without precedent in the history of the game in Scotland.

Not that Andy Murray cares about the British, far less the Scottish, perspective.

It is the global game he has always been interested in, testing himself against the very best on the planet.

And that is exactly what he will get the chance to do if he keeps progressing through the second week here in Melbourne, on his way to what he hopes will be Scotland's first ever Grand Slam singles title.

He has plenty of noisy supporters and they'll soon find out if his best is indeed good enough to turn him into a legend of British sport Kheredine Idessane

So far, Murray has been red hot, despatching Karol Beck, Illya Marchenko, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez Jurgen Melzer with the loss of only 22 games.

But Murray has the pleasure - and also the pain - of competing in one of the game's truly great eras.

The Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry transcends tennis. It's one of world sport's most engrossing duels. Their almost total monopoly of the big titles over the past six years has given the Grand Slam club a very exclusive membership.

Since Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open, there have been 23 Grand Slam finals. Only two were not won by either Federer or Nadal, so take a bow Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro.

And getting in to the club seems to be getting harder.

If Murray wants to get through the rope, he may have to get past the reigning world tour champion Federer and the imperious Nadal.

The Spanish world number one has his eye on yet another tennis landmark. Only two other players in the history of the game have held all four Slams at the same time, a feat that hasn't been achieved since the great Rod Laver in 1969.

How appropriate that Nadal could pull it off in an arena that now bears the great man's name.

So the challenge could not be tougher for Murray. But then winning a slam was never going to be easy, regardless of the era.

606: DEBATE How will Murray fare against Jurgen Melzer?

In his favour is a first-class first week in which he barely broke sweat and didn't drop a set.

Also in his locker is the knowledge that he beat both Nadal and Federer on the way to winning in Toronto last year before then beating Federer again in the Shanghai final.

He likes the courts, atmosphere and surface out here, has been striking the ball like a dream and seeing it like a football.

He has plenty of noisy supporters willing him on from the stands and they'll soon find out if his best is indeed good enough to turn him into a legend of British sport.

And if he does suddenly start to play "garbage", it'll be a big surprise to all of us.

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