ANDY MURRAY is steeling himself for a brutal French Open semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic.

While the Scot was booking his place in his 16th Grand Slam last-four match with a 7-6 (4), 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory against No.7 seed David Ferrer of Spain, the Serbian World No.1 was inflicting what was only 10-time winner Rafa Nadal's second-ever defeat at Roland Garros in 70 matches.

Murray hasn't beaten Djokovic since the 2013 Wimbledon final and the Serb has lost just two matches all-year long, but the 28-year-old from Dunblane knows he is going to have to push his body to the limit here tomorrow if he is to live with the super-fit Serb.

"I need to make sure I take sort of control of my own side of the net and be mentally strong out there on the court," the Scot said. "I'll need to accept that if I want to win the match, it's not going to be plain sailing.

"It's very unlikely you'll be comfortable physically. It will be difficult, and you need to prepare yourself mentally before you go out on to the court."

That will particularly be the case amid temperatures in Paris which are likely to exceed 30 degrees in the next few days.

"If it does get up to that temperature, it will obviously makes it tougher physically and it will change the way that the court plays."

Murray has now won his last 15 matches on clay, a record which equals any run he has compiled during his career - on any surface.

He too will be confident going into the match. While Djokovic has won 18 of their 26 career meetings, they have met only twice on the red dirt, and not since 2011, when the Serb was a narrow winner in Rome.

"Both of us are going into the match feeling confident," the Scot said. "I don't think there are any negatives that you can have from winning against someone that has won this event nine times and beating them in straight sets.

"But the keys are always pretty much the same. We have only played once or twice on the clay. Last time we played I think was in Rome, and I served for the match there and played some good tennis. So it's going to be a tough match.

"I'm going to have to come up with a good game plan, and try to stick to it throughout, which is something that I feel like I have done pretty well the last couple of months.

"To put yourself in position to win against the best players in the world, it's not just about one day before the match. It's about what you do in the whole of the build-up to it," he added.

"And going into the match having not lost on clay this year and having some big wins on the surface is important for me."

Nadal's loss was only the Spaniard's second defeat at this venue in 70 matches, but Murray said it was far too early for the obituaries to be written for the Mallorcan's career.

"Last year I was in that position and I was getting asked a lot of questions," added Murray. "I think Rafa will come back. But it will take time. He will need to big wins to build his confidence back up."