Jamie Murray

Jamie Murray one win away from breaking British Open era slam record

• Australian Open mixed doubles finalist aiming for eight titles
• Pairing with flamboyant Bethanie Mattek-Sands has paid off

It is a curiosity of Jamie Murray’s career that, as promising as he was as a young boy – some say better than his younger brother, Andy, when he was about 12 – he has become one of the most accomplished doubles players of the past 15 years.

If he and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the flamboyant American, beat the fifth seeds, Barbora Krejcikova and Nikola Mektic, in the mixed doubles final on Saturday, Murray will own eight grand slam titles in pairings – five more majors than Andy – six of them in mixed doubles. They obviously click on court.

With victory Murray would also become Britain’s most successful grand slam player of the Open era, moving him clear of Virginia Wade, with whom he currently shares the national record.

“I didn’t know that,” said the 33-year-old. “It’s not something I’d ever thought about but I guess that’s a cool record to have. But I’ve not done it yet.”

Murray and Mattek-Sands’s tournament began in a rare controversy in the discipline regarded as the closest to the gentility of club tennis when they had a 10-minute on-court row with the No 1 seeds Barbora Strycova and Marcelo Melo over a disputed line call – before going on to beat them, and move through the draw to the final.

His last recorded singles match on Tour was losing to Kevin Anderson in the second round of qualifying in a 250 tournament in Bangkok in 2011, for which he earned $435. It might just have covered his flight home. His career was going nowhere and he considered quitting in 2013. But he stuck at it and his career earnings now stand at $4.8m.

His partnership with Mattek-Sands has been among his most fruitful, and he revealed it began when she texted him two years ago. “I was, like, ‘I have got to play with Beth.’ I have lost to her so many times. She is so cool at mixed doubles. For me, I cannot pass this up. I have got to do it. It has been great.” And it looks like lasting for a while yet.

Joe Salisbury, who partnered Murray for Great Britain in the ATP Cup, plays in the doubles final here on Sunday with the American Rajeev Ram against the Australians Max Purcell and Luke Saville.

Murray said of Salisbury: “He has done incredibly well over the last two years. He has been going like this all the time. I think it was a good decision for him to team up with Raj at the end of 2018, a good experienced partner for him.

“They seem to complement each other very well. They are a very good serving team. Joe is a great athlete, moves around the court very well.”

Were two British players to lift slam titles in the disciplines that fans hold in great affection, it would ease the pain of what was a sorry campaign in both singles draws.