IT is never plain sailing for Andy Murray.

The 25-year-old Scot is bidding to be king of the world on the banks of the Thames this week and is travelling from his five-star hotel to the 02 Arena by boat.

Already, there have been rough patches on landing and two veritable storms await.

Murray overcame his first hurdle in his search for the £1m-plus prize and the title of winner of the Barclays ATP Tour Finals championship by defeating Tomas Berdych in a tough, three-set match.

But now Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lie in wait. The Scot has to come out at least second best in this group of four to reach the semi-finals at the weekend.

Tsonga will be a tough challenge, but Murray knows he is headed for a destination called pain when he faces the world No.1 in Djokovic.

These players play matches that resemble boxing matches in their physical intensity. The Serb won a gruelling semi-final at the Australian Open. The Scot triumphed in a five-set US Open final.

Both matches totalled 10 hours of unrelenting effort by two competitors who are great shotmakers but are at the peak of fitness.

"For me anyway there's an understanding of how much you have to put into the match to win it," said Murray, who knows he will have to dig deep when he plays Djokovic this week.

"I think that's just the nature of those matches. Both of us are very good retrievers, so often the points will go on a lot.

"Sometimes you maybe feel like you need to win the point two or three times, which is tough and can be a little bit tiring."

But he added: "We've played each other enough to know what to expect. We do practise with each other quite a lot, too. But it's never quite the same as the matches, that's for sure. "

The two friends are among the favourites for the title in a tournament that is restricted to the top eight in the world. And Murray believes his Olympic gold medal and his triumph in New York will help him in the tough moments that lie ahead.

"I hope when I'm playing the best players in the world, I'll believe in my shots a bit more and make sure to be aggressive when I can," said the Scot of the legacy of New York.

He has not yet received his trophy as a replica has been made for him and is awaiting despatch. But the lessons from an historic victory have accompanied him across the Atlantic and up the Thames to the arena on the Greenwich Peninusla.

"I thought I did a good job," said Murray of defeating Berdych, the world No.6.

"I tried to move forward and take his time away a little bit, which sometimes when I played him in the past, I'd let him dictate a lot of the points. Having won a few of the big events this year, and having lost a tough one in Australia against Novak, and at Wimbledon in the final against Roger (Federer), I've learned a lot this year about how I need to play those big points in big games," he said.

But he found a safe harbour in the 02 despite the turbulence caused by the big-hitting Berdych.

"It's a whole year's work getting here," said Murray of the tour finals. "It's a different atmosphere to most of the other tournaments.

"We take the boat to the courts, which we don't do anywhere else. We have our own locker rooms. They put on a great event."

It also produces a raucous atmosphere for home hero Murray.

"It's important to have the big crowd to give you that little extra push you need to play good tennis," said Murray of the 17,000 fans roaring him on at the 02. The next stages of the journey to glory in London have still be negotiated. And Djokovic and Tsonga are on the horizon."