The media hype has been intense as thousands of Britons have tuned in to see Murray's outstanding performance at Wimbledon this year. Interest has focused on the excellent form Murray has shown in the competition so far - clearly the physical aspects are in place and Murray has proven his fitness in going five sets to beat Wawrinka.

But what do we know about the psychological aspects playing a role in his success? Murray has exceptional levels of drive and focus but spectators may feel confused by the apparent fluctuations in performance - one minute things are going so well, the next, a game has been lost. For most people it is hard to maintain concentration for longer than 30 minutes at a time and yet these matches can go on for hours. Murray's expressive behaviour can give us some insight into how he is dealing with this. He is often heard shouting, 'focus', which indicates two things. Firstly, he is reinstating his concentration. Secondly, he is fighting the psychological barrier which is arguably more important than the physical one. When a point is lost, negative thoughts quickly creep in and threaten to overwhelm high performance. 'Focus' appears to be Murray's trigger word to stop the negative thoughts and reframe them - taking a positive perspective which is critical to high performance.

His confidence and self-belief will certainly be high following his win against Ferrero. He will be boosted by his victories against Federer at their last four meetings. As psychologists we know that this self-belief will certainly improve his performance and chances of winning.

Further insight comes from our knowledge of the characteristics of outstanding performers. In striving for the higher levels, people tend to take more risks, however, once they're in a good position they often take far fewer risks and this can lead to their downfall. The implications for Murray are that he must play the harder and riskier shots to step ahead, but must not become complacent or lose the appetite for those risky but crowd-pleasing returns. The crowd themselves play their own part in increasing his psychological resilience and game performance. The crowd's support has what is known as the 'Pygmalion effect', which means their belief that Murray will win will improve his performance. Conversely, at the same time it is likely to have a negative impact on his opponent.

Perhaps most importantly will be Murray's ability to adapt his game. Outstanding performers know when to change approach and how to do it. We have seen Murray flex his approach to Wawrinka as he increased the shots to his opponent that would exasperate Wawrinka's injured quad. He must also vary his own habits to keep his opponent guessing and break down their weaknesses.