Masterful Murray on gold watch as he runs into top form

As the British No 1 began the arduous voyage across 13 time-zones on Monday from Cincinnati to the Chinese capital — via London and Helsinki — he did so in the knowledge that he now has a realistic chance of making the podium.

Tables turned: Murray has now beaten Djokovic in their last two meetings

The new rankings have confirmed him as World No 6 but, after Sunday night’s victory over Novak Djokovic in the Cincinnati Masters Final, they are yet to catch up with the reality that he is presently the fourth best player in the world.

He is the player whom the ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic would least like to face right now from outside their exclusive little club.

Winning one of the nine biggest events outside the Grand Slams is a crucial stepping stone towards claiming one of the big four, so there was little idle boasting when Murray considered his achievement afterwards.

‘I think I have the game to win a Slam, my results here show I have the potential to do it,’ he said. ‘I’ve started to play more consistently in the bigger tournaments. It’s just a matter of putting it together for two weeks.’

Murray would doubtless rather win the U.S. Open at the end of this month than the Olympics, but the latter is still massively important. Not for him a five-star hotel in Beijing, though, and he is looking forward to the whole experience.

‘I can’t wait,’ he said. ‘Some of the tennis players are in hotels but I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to be in the athletes’ village. I wouldn’t stay anywhere else, I’m looking forward to mixing with other top athletes.’

On the court, the gauge remains how he shapes up against the top three and there is an argument that says they will all fear him, even Nadal.

Trophy pride: Murray displays his Cincinnati Masters prize

The Spaniard is the only top player Murray has never beaten, but he is now guaranteed the World No 1 ranking before the U.S. Open and, goal achieved, that may shave something from the ferocious intensity he has brought to his tennis since March.

While he has unquestionably improved since last year, Nadal has no great record of success on the hard-court swing following Wimbledon and he will surely not be able to keep things up at the pitch we have recently seen.

Federer, who has already lost to Murray this year, is in a downward tailspin although it is way too soon to write him off, especially as he has stated that winning an OIympic gold is a personal target.

Murray’s results against Djokovic, his long-time junior rival, are the most significant development of the past fortnight. The British No 1 has gone from being the Serb’s bunny in the pros to the man who has beaten him twice in two weeks in straight sets.

There was almost a resigned air about Djokovic on Sunday night when it became apparent his opponent was outpunching him in the rallies. He had the look of someone thinking: ‘I knew this was going to happen some time.’

As far as the Olympics goes, much will depend on who is prioritising it most and who best acclimatises after a horrendous journey that Andy Roddick decided was not worth the effort.

Apart from the American’s absence, the singles field could hardly be stronger and it is fair to assume that the serious contenders are all in it to win it.

The doubles event has interesting possibilities, too, with Murray partnering his brother Jamie. Many of the ‘specialist’ teams that dominate year round are split up on grounds of nationality while the best singles players are making rare forays into the two-man code.

Andy Murray’s high-class returns and volleys mean that he and Jamie, a decent specialist anyway, definitely have the chance of a medal.