Andy Murray is going to have to play some of his best tennis if he is to win a £1million bonus and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.

The world No4 has been drawn in a tough group with Roger Federer, Fernando Verdasco and Juan Martin del Potro, who he faces in his opening match on Sunday.

But that fact that only Andy Roddick of the world's top eight players has withdrawn from the event at the O2 Arena means Murray would have faced a tough task however the draw went, according to his former coach Mark Petchey.

He said: "It's a shame Roddick has been forced out but five players who have had outstanding years; Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Del Potro, are all here and that makes it one of the toughest end of tour finals ever staged.

"Andy came back from his wrist injury and won in Valencia and also competed in Paris and he should be in good shape for the finals. Then he is going to build up to Australia, having changed his normal routine to take in the Hopman Cup in Perth.

"It's a case of finding what suits him best as he attempts to win that first Grand Slam. There are a lot of ranking points on offer in London and that adds even more spice to the event, with Djokovic in with a chance of taking over from Nadal as No2 and Del Potro trying for the No4 spot."

Andy Murray's remarkable tennis year has featured six titles and a career-high No2 ranking in the world in August. But he will need to beat Del Potro to stop the US Open champion from having a chance of taking his current No4 spot at the end of the year.