Andy Murray stepped off an outside court here four years ago as the boy's title holder - tonight he can make British tennis history by defeating Roger Federer to win the grown-up's prize.

Fred Perry, whose deeds have been a millstone around the necks of those who have followed for 72 years, was the last Briton to lift US Open trophy and now the 21-year-old Scot, who is sponsored by the legend's clothing company, stands on the threshold of glory.

Murray defeated Rafael Nadal a fourset semi-final - played over two days due to the intervention of Tropical Storm Hanna - to earn the right to face Federer.

The Swiss maestro has won four successive US Opens, but has so far this year failed to add to his tally of 12 Grand Slam titles.

Murray has no intention of letting Federer make it 13 Slams at his expense and is taking great heart from his 6-2, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 win over Nadal.

He said: "I played well enough to beat the world No1 over two days, and I have beaten Roger in the past, but I realise that a Slam final is different.

"He's won more than 30 matches in a row here and is going to be feeling confident. He's got loads of experience in these situations and it's something new for me.

"I am delighted to be in my first Slam final and I said at the start of the tournament, I want to try and win it."

Life has never been this good for Murray, who loves New York because it is brash, arrogant and doesn't give a damn what you think about the city.

That's why he identifies so strongly with the final Slam of the year.

His success here can, in part, be attributed to a key decision made six years ago. At just 15 he was sent to Spain by his mum Judy to complete his tennis education and that gave him an inner strength which allows him to believe tonight's match is within his grasp.

Murray said: "The thing that prepared me for these situations was when I went over to train in Spain. It was much tougher being away from my family for a long time rather than [worrying about] whether people expect me to win Grand Slams."

The Spanish training regime gave Murray a bed-rock to build upon but the most important stage in the construction of a champion came in Florida at the end of last year, when "Team Murray" was assembled and the fitness experts and coaches got down to some serious work.

The punishing track running, weight lifting, hot yoga and repetitive tennis training sessions provided a reserve of energy and endurance that Murray has tapped into throughout the season.

It was certainly in the semi-final, which appeared to shift dramatically towards Nadal when Murray wasted seven break points in the second game of the fourth set. To compound matters, Murray then threw away his serve to love and the 20,000 crowd roared their backing for the Spaniard and a desire for a fifth set.

Murray was only too aware of the moment and admitted: "Even though I got broken the following game, I still kept my emotions in check. I knew I was going to have chances to get back in the match and I did."

His goals for 2008 were to better his ranking, get into the end-of-season Tennis Masters Cup for the top eight players and improve his record in Grand Slams.

A first-round defeat in Australia was a shock to the system, but he responded strongly, reaching the third round at the French Open, quarter-finals at Wimbledon and now a first Slam final in New York.

Nevetheless, Murray accepts there is room for improvement.

He said: "When you put in the work off the court, and go into matches knowing you have physically worked really hard, you don't have any excuses on the court. You just think about tennis.

"In the past I maybe did think about pressure because I hadn't worked as hard as I should have, but now that's not the case. I think I will still play better in a couple years.

"There are many things that I can improve on. One of the keys this year has been mentally I have got much, much betterand that has made a big difference. Physically, I can still get stronger.

"When you play more matches and get more experience in the big situations you understand what you can improve and what breaks down a little bit and that you're going need to work on.

"I am only starting to get the sort of big match experience this year. I have the tennis to compete with those guys. I just have to make sure I do it for three out of five sets rather than for a set and a half, two sets."

Murray is certainly going into tonight's match in the right frame of mind.

He added: "I go on the court now without feeling like I have anything to worry about, because I've worked hard and practised hard and given myself the best opportunity to play well. All I've got to do is play tennis, which is one of the few things that I'm good at."