Murray shapes up well for favourite Grand Slam event

It is seven months since he played in a Grand Slam tournament, nearly six since he was completely injury-free and five since he last won two matches in a row. No wonder Andy Murray is looking forward to the US Open, which begins here today. Not only is it the 20-year-old Briton's favourite event but it also comes at a time when he hopes he may have finally shaken off the wrist injury that has been ruining his summer.

Contrary to the opinions held by some cynics, Murray's professional career had rarely been interrupted by injury until he suffered the first of a series of mishaps in Indian Wells early in March. Having made a flying start to the year by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and defending his San Jose title, he then hurt his hip, knee and ankle in a fall in California.

The Scot went on to damage his groin in Miami, his back in Monte Carlo and his wrist in Hamburg. The latter has been the most serious problem. The damaged tendons in his racket wrist kept him out of the French Open and Wimbledon and when he made his comeback earlier this month it was clear that his recovery was far from complete.

The problem has seemed to be in his head as much as his wrist. Concerned that he might cause further damage, Murray has been reluctant to hit the ball with anything like the power that had taken him to No 8 in the world rankings earlier this year.

It took a trip back to Britain to restore confidence. Cheered by his time at home, Murray was also lifted by a positive assessment by his specialist and by a visit to a sports psychologist.

Only last summer Murray poured scorn on the idea of seeking such help – he threw a sports psychologist's book in a bin, saying he was "not ready for a shrink yet" – but he was recently put in touch with Roberto Forzoni, who worked with West Ham United's players at the end of last season during their successful fight against relegation from the Premiership.

"It helped me a lot," Murray said. "I watched videos of what my forehand looked like before and it was good just having positive thoughts and having someone listen to everything that you say."

Murray has subsequently hit the ball more freely in practice, with no adverse reaction, and is itching to get back into competitive action. He is determined to take it one match at a time, however, and said he had barely looked at the draw.

He is third on court today against Pablo Cuevas, a 21-year-old Uruguayan ranked No 129 in the world. His next opponents could be 35-year-old Jonas Bjorkman followed by Guillermo Canas, whose recent results have been poor. In the fourth round, Nikolay Davydenko, who beat him at the same stage 12 months ago, may wait.

Cuevas beat Murray's fellow Scot, Jamie Baker, in the final round of a qualifying tournament that brought little British cheer. Richard Bloomfield went out in the second round and Alex Bogdanovic retired with a damaged back and ribs after three games of his first-round match.

Elena Baltacha, Katie O'Brien and Mel South also fell at the first hurdle, while Naomi Cavaday and Anne Keothavong lost in the final round, the former after struggling with a groin injury and the latter retiring with a damaged wrist when a set and 3-0 down. What with Murray's wrist and Tim Henman's chronic back, the busiest people among a sizeable backroom contingent from the Lawn Tennis Association have been the medical staff.

Henman, who is playing his last tournament after announcing that he will retire next month, would have been forgiven a wry smile when he saw the draw. His first-round opponent is Dmitry Tursunov, the No 27 seed, who will be aiming to complete a personal Grand Slam against the former British No 1, having knocked him out of Wimbledon and the Australian and French Opens in the last two years.

Many players have paid tribute to Henman, one of the most popular figures on the circuit, though news of his imminent retirement had not filtered through to one of his best friends, Roger Federer, until the Briton asked him if he would like a final hit.

"He asked me if I wanted to practise one last time," Federer said. "I asked him: 'What are you talking about? That's it or what?' It was a different kind of a practice, a bit sad to a point. It was one of the last times we'll play together. I think he was a wonderful player and is a wonderful person."

Federer is chasing a 12th Grand Slam title, which would leave him two behind Pete Sampras' all-time record, and looks in good shape after winning in Cincinnati and reaching the final in Montreal in his two tournaments since winning his fifth consecutive Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal is again likely to be his main challenger, though both will be wary of Novak Djokovic, who became the first player to beat the two men in the same tournament when he won in Montreal.

Justine Henin starts as favourite to win the women's tournament, but finds herself in the same half of the draw as nearly all her main rivals, including Serena and Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. With Amélie Mauresmo absent because of fitness problems and Maria Sharapova struggling with a shoulder injury, the bottom half of the draw looks wide open.