Finally, Britain has a legitimate contender to become Wimbledon men’s singles champion, and Andy Murray insists he is ready to end the nation’s agonising 73-year wait for success.

Those faded black and white images of Fred Perry in 1936 have been played repeatedly in Murray’s presence. Last week he even listened to the BBC radio commentary of that historic day and allowed himself a wry grin.

There is plenty for Murray to smile about because there is nobody in the Championships for him to fear. Defending champion Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal opens up the top half of the draw for the Scot. He can also look at the other half of the draw and see Roger Federer — and recall that he has beaten the five-time champion four times in succession.

So it is with neither bravado nor bluster that he says: “I believe I can win a Grand Slam title now. Last year at Wimbledon I felt I could win the tournament but I wasn’t ready to do it. Now I am, both physically and mentally. My game is there, it’s now just a case of putting it all together.”

The likes of John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi and Boris Becker agree that the 22-year-old Scot is not only a Wimbledon champion in waiting but a potential winner of multiple Grand Slam titles. Murray, the No 3 seed, will make no promises or pronouncements that in the centenary of Perry’s birth he will become Wimbledon champion.

But in those laid-back tones he says: “Going into the tournament this year I know I can win, but that doesn’t mean I am going to. At the beginning of the Australian Open in January I was the bookmakers’ favourite and then look what happened.” Murray, suffering with a virus, lost in the fourth round to Spain’s Fernando Verdasco. “I didn’t care what the bookies were saying, although a few of the other players seemed to have some issues. I just take the view that I play my matches and try and do as well as I can. If I do that I have a good chance of winning. It’s simple.”

The experience of reaching last September’s US Open final was pivotal in firing this belief. “The consistency in my game was there after that,” he continues. “I realised I had what it took to play seven matches in a Slam and I am stronger now than I was then.” Perry would have liked Murray and not just because of the laurel leaf motif on his shirt. Many years ago, Britain’s last male champion was asked when the nation would produce another Wimbledon winner. “It’s not a matter of producing anybody,” he said. “It’s a case of somebody, somewhere who wants to succeed badly enough and is determined and bloody-minded enough to make sure he does.”

The words seem to fit Murray as perfectly as the neatly tailored playing attire with which he will grace the All England Club for, hopefully, the next fortnight. There can be no debate about Murray’s determination, as no player has worked more diligently to improve his physical strength and resilience after being taught a painful, but now highly valuable, lesson by David Nalbandian on his first outing on Centre Court four years ago.

Indeed, when asked to list the five most important matches in his still blossoming career he opted to ignore the straight-sets win over Andy Roddick at Wimbledon a year later, the final victory over Novak Djokovic in Miami a couple of months ago that gave him his most prestigious title,or a five-set tussle with Fernando Gonzalez at the US Open in 2006.

Instead he included that defeat by Nalbandian, when he was powerless and almost lame due to exhaustion as the Argentinian powered back from a two set-deficit, with Murray only able to win five games in the last three sets. The defeat showed him that his endurance had to improve. “I understood I had to get much stronger and I’ve worked hard at that constantly ever since,” he says. “It’s the thought that keeps you going when you are running 400m repetitions on the track with minimal rest in between.”

Murray is mentally strong with a large degree of bloody-mindedness. He delights in proving people wrong, but whereas perhaps a year or two ago he would have got involved in an argument, now he knows the best way to prove his point is with actions rather than words. The Mr Grumpy label still sticks with some people and Murray has come to realise you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

Nevertheless, he now feels an empathy with the Wimbledon crowd that perhaps wasn’t always there, and far from being burdened by the weight of public expectation, he relishes the chance of revving up the 15,000 spectators expected to attend all his matches to the extent they will jump charge his game.

Last year’s recovery from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet in the fourth round opened his eyes to what Centre Court support could help him achieve. “It makes a huge difference,” he admits. “When you are playing the third or fourth hour of a match it makes it much easier to stay focused. They certainly gave me an extra push because in a five-set match there are always some extra ups and downs. That was the first time I had ever played a match like that at Wimbledon and I enjoyed the whole experience.”

Murray became the first British player in 71 years to win the traditional Wimbledon warm-up event on the grass of Queen’s Club a week ago. It was his 12th career singles title, one more than Tim Henman, the last British man to ignite the Wimbledon crowd towards the end of the Championships’ second week.

The weather gods — plus Goran Ivanisevic — robbed Henman of his finest hour, but Murray need have no similar concerns. He has much more in his favour than the assurances he will be kept dry by a pristine new roof over his head.