Feat of clay

There was a sense of inevitability about Rafael Nadal's straight sets' win over Andy Murray at the French Open semi-finals on Friday.

It was the fourth time Murray had lost to the Spaniard in their six Grand Slam meetings and Nadal's record on clay is astonishing - he's only been beaten once in the French Open and walked off with the title five times.

But the scoreline - 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 - does little justice to the match, or Murray's part in it. Having stumbled through to his first Roland Garros semi-final, and fought off a groin injury, a partially-torn ankle ligament, a sore throat and even a broken tooth on the way, the British number one played his best tennis of the tournament against the incredible Nadal. He carved out numerous break point opportunites on the Nadal serve - but only when he was a break down himself. The match was close - but Nadal won the crucial points here and there.

And therein lies the problem - Nadal always had another gear to find, particularly on his favourite surface. Murray, like Tim Henman and many other Brits before him, is never likely to flourish on the red dirt and so will be pleased to match Henman's 2004 run to the semis. He can now turn his attention to the grass court season and prepare, ankle-permitting, for the pressure cooker of Wimbledon.

Being the fourth best tennis player on the planet is a fantastic achievement in itself. Henman was unfairly labelled a 'bottler' for failing to make a Grand Slam final. Murray has at least made three - but seems to have hit a mental glass ceiling, crumbling in all of them. A few years ago, Nadal and Roger Federer were carving up the major titles between them and now Novak Djokovic has emerged as, arguably, the best player in the world right now with his astonishing 42-match winning streak. He will confirm the number spot if he defeats Roger Federer to reach the Roland Garros final.

Murray has shown he has the quality to beat anyone in individual matches and go deep into every Grand Slam draw. But to finally rid himself of the 'bottler' tag, he must find greater consistency and, most importantly, the right mentality to take his chances when they arrive. Then, and only then, will he develop the aura of invincibility that terrifies opponents of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic.