Andy Murray's amazing start to the year has fans anticipating the most exciting Australian Open ever and offers real hope that Britain will soon boast a first men's Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry 73 years ago.

By retaining his title in Doha and winning a high-profile exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, Murray is the form player in Melbourne for the first Slam of the year.

The 21-year-old looks even more dangerous than when he made the US Open Final last September, losing to Roger Federer.

Murray was an outside bet in that tournament but now stands shoulder to shoulder with world No1 Rafael Nadal, Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

So how does Murray rate the three main threats to his Grand Slam dream?

"Federer is going to be desperate to get back to No1," said the Briton. "He very nearly finished at No3 which would have been a little bit surprising at the end of the year. He is obviously still playing great, doesn't have a whole lot of world ranking points to defend and I am sure he will get close to being No1 again.

"Nadal improved a lot of things last year, including his cross-court backhand. He is slicing a bit more, serving and volleying better, and has added a few extra things to his game.

"Djokovic's game is still as solid as it was. He serves and moves well, and has got solid ground strokes. Maybe he doesn't have a whole lot of flair and pass like Federer, but he is doing everything else great."

As for himself, the British No1 admits he has a fiery reputation but insists that people should not misjudge him. He said: "Because of the way I am on court, some people might not necessarily think that I would be the nicest person to talk to. But I'm pretty laid back off the court compared to what I am on it."

The men's game is generating huge excitement because it is so competitive this year and the women's tournament - minus injured defending champion Maria Sharapova - will struggle to grab the limelight over the next two weeks.

After winning all eight of his matches in 2009, Murray - unlike Federer - has opted to avoid the traditional round-robin Kooyong Classic event in Melbourne this week, preferring to hit the practice courts. There, he has been getting to grips with the searing heat in the city which can hit 40°C.

With the seedings in Melbourne following the ATP tour rankings, Murray was named No4 for the Open, which starts on Monday.

The draw is made tomorrow and Murray will hope it is much kinder to him than last year, where he was pitted against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The Frenchman is seeded No5 this time but 12 months ago the world No38 knocked out Murray sparking a run which carried him to the final, where he was beaten by Djokovic. Tsonga has his sights set on the Big Four again and said: "I think I can beat them. I did it already, so I will try another time."

Federer, meanwhile, reached the Kooyong final today with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 victory over Spain's Fernando Verdasco. The Swiss star was pushed in a tie lasting two hours 14 minutes but said: "It's good to be out there and to get used to the court, so long matches don't bother me at this stage."