Andy Murray is attempting two of the toughest assignments in world tennis as he prepares to face former world No1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Centre Court.

Not only is Murray trying to become the first British man to win the title since Fred Perry in 1936, the world No3 is also hoping to single-handedly inspire an entire nation of youngsters to pick up a tennis racket.

Given the tens of millions that the Lawn Tennis Association have ploughed into a host of initiatives to increase the numbers playing the game and still we cannot produce more than one world-class player, many will see winning the Wimbledon title as an easier target for Murray to set himself this week.

After thrilling 12 million television viewers with his hot-house performance under the new Centre Court roof as he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in five sets, Murray will be hoping for a much more routine victory over wildcard Ferrero, who is dragging himself back up the rankings after a leg injury left him down among the also-rans of the game.

With 'Good Luck' messages being received from the Queen and Sean Connery, Murray is catching the attention of new and old fans but he really wants his success to help solve the perennial problem of keeping interest in tennis alive in this country for longer than the length of the Championship.

He said: "This time of the year is great for tennis in the UK because everyone watches people play it. It's really about getting that message out there for the three, four or five months after Wimbledon to make sure that people continue playing. If I help some kids start playing tennis or to enjoy watching it or keep playing, then it's obviously very good."

Murray will attempt to move one step closer to Wimbledon immortality by using a slavish commitment to the same pre-match routine that has underpinned his rise up the rankings as prepares for today's quarter-final clash.

After taking four hours to beat Wawrinka, Murray could have been excused a period of navel gazing, lying on the sofa at his new home - one of the few pieces of furniture currently in the house - but his professional ethic and the enthusiasm of Team Murray had him back on the practise courts yesterday for over an hour playing tennis football, working on his ground strokes, firing off serves and doing press-ups under the watchful eye of his fitness experts.

While Murray wasn't exactly pushing himself to the limit before jumping into an ice bath, it was important he kept to the programme that has seen him race up the rankings as he bids to win a first Slam title.

Murray said: "Just because I had one big match you don't start getting distracted. Obviously the support on the court was great and the last thing you're thinking about is how many people were watching it on TV.

"I am practising as much as I did last year, having the same amount of recovery time, but the main difference is that my body just feels stronger. I recover better from long matches and that is why I am not going to change my routines from other tournaments."

The basis for Murray's success this year was the punishing training programme he followed in Florida at the end of last year alongside close friend Ross Hutchins, the Davis Cup doubles player. Together with the other members of Team Murray, Miles Maclagan, Matt Little, Jez Green and Andy Ireland, the popular Hutchins followed the track-and-gym work designed to make Murray stronger and fitter and more able to avoid injury.

A key feature of the sessions was the forfeit system, which saw various members of the group having to dress up in women's clothing for public outings, put their normal clothes on inside-out or, in Hutchins's case, wear a track suit for a session of "hot" yoga.

Murray and Hutchins endured temperatures of 45C during special yoga sessions in Miami which lasted for more than an hour and are designed to allow sportsmen and women to extend muscle work because they are so hot.

That is why Murray, despite feeling the heat and humidity under the roof on Centre Court, was still able to play at a remarkably high level for nearly four hours and why his recovery has been so impressive in the last 24 hours.

"I've got the right guys around me and they know how my body works, so we'll do the right things to get me ready," added Murray, who won the only previous meeting with Ferrero two weeks ago in the Queen's semi-finals 6-2, 6-4.

Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, has shown with wins over eighth seed Gilles Simon and 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez the clear and present danger he still poses.