Andy Murray has  played in the last eight US Opens, so he’s very familiar with the final Grand Slam of the year. That said, the 26-year-old Briton knows all too well that his ninth visit to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is going to be a very different experience.

This year, when Murray walks onto the Tennis Center grounds, he will do so as the US Open defending champion. That honor comes with its own distinction: It will be Murray’s first career attempt at defending a Grand Slam title.

No one understands how unique it’s going to be as much as Murray. What he doesn’t know is exactly what to expect.

“I have no idea (about it),” said Murray. ”It’s a new experience, so I don’t know how I’m going to respond. You know, I’m staying in the same hotel as last year, and I’ll try and stick to a similar sort of schedule and try to get comfortable there as soon as I arrive in New York.”

When Rafael Nadal, who has defended a Grand Slam title more than once, was asked if he had any sage advice to impart to Murray regarding this new position, the Spaniard initially said, “Not win,” with a laugh. Nadal went on to say, “Andy’s a great guy and a fantastic player. He really doesn’t need any advice. When you come back in a tournament that you already won, my feeling is it’s not a big, big difference. The only thing that is different and will help, you did it in the past, and when you did it one time in the past, it’s easier to do it again because you know that you can do it.”

Until last summer, Murray was recognized as an amazing talent who was failing to live up to his potential. By the end of 2011, he was getting tired of hearing that bad rap, predicated on the theory he was too stubborn to get the right coaching voice because he was so confident he knew his game better than anyone else could. That’s when he finally brought in a legend—Ivan Lendl—in hopes he could sort out his path to Grand Slam champion status.

By the completion of Wimbledon in 2012 -- Murray again got close to victory and ended up choking back tears during his runners-up speech after losing to Roger Federer -- the Scotsman had achieved four Grand Slam finals without taking home one major title. It was a record very reminiscent of Lendl, who lost four major finals before winning his eight career Grand Slam singles trophies.

Despite the loss, Lendl praised Murray’s performance during the tournament, telling Murray that, while he didn’t win, he played the match with the perfect strategy, and a win couldn’t be far away.

Murray’s emotional outburst at that 2012 Wimbledon, and Lendl’s assessment of the match, seemed to lift away the tremendous burden Murray felt. All the pressure he put on himself -- and all the expectations a nation desperate for a homegrown champion put on him -- seemed to disappear at that moment.  

A few weeks later, Murray would become a success on that very All England Club Centre Court, winning the Olympic gold medal. Soon after that, Murray would become the player he was born to be -- a Grand Slam champion. He would win the 2012 US Open in a rain-delayed Monday night final in an incredible 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Novak Djokovic.  

Murray and the whole of Britain could share a collective sigh of relief. He owned a Grand Slam title at the US Open, the major where he always appeared most at ease. For a child of small-town Dunblane, Scotland, the hustle and bustle of New York surprisingly turned out to be his thing.

“I get excited always for the Grand Slams, and there’s some pressures that you can deal with well and some you don’t,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing in New York.”

While winning the US Open was a huge deal for Murray and his legion of fans, he upped the ante this summer when he lifted the coveted Challenge Cup as all Wimbledon champions are asked to do. He became the first British man in 77 years since Perry won the title in 1936 to win at Wimbledon -- it was a long wait, but well worth it.

After a number of days of fulfilling the responsibilities that go along with being a Wimbledon hero, Murray took a few days vacation in the Bahamas before getting back to work at his Miami home. There was only so much time he could allot to basking in the glory of his two Grand Slam trophies, as  tennis is a sport that’s a never-ending treadmill, and there was still half a year of tournaments to play.

And most importantly, there was the US Open ahead and the weighty job of doing everything possible to defend his title. And while that’s no easy feat, U.S. Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier, who twice in his career defended a Grand Slam title, believes that Murray should handle the moment well.

“I think, especially after Wimbledon, he should feel happy with what he’s achieved and have confidence,” Courier said. “At the US Open, he won’t have as much scrutiny as at Wimbledon, so he shouldn’t have the burden of nerves. It should all come down to the tennis.”

In Emirates Airline US Open Series play this summer, Murray fell in the third round at Montreal to Ernests Gulbis and in the Cincinnati quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych. But still wearing his post-Wimbledon cheery smile, Murray appeared confident he’d done most of his homework well and would be ready for the US Open to begin.

“You know the things that I really needed to do well -- serving, returning, moving -- that was good,” said Murray before departing Cincinnati. “I’ll still need to work on my ground strokes a bit, make sure I’m not making too many mistakes going into the US Open.”

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