I CAN’T help feeling story for Andy Murray.

In any other era, the Scot’s haul of Grand Slam titles would be in double figures by now, rather than the two he currently has to his name.

Wednesday’s impressive four-set victory over clay specialist David Ferrer set up his third semi-final at Roland Garros.

Yet a first ever place in the final of the French Open still looks frustratingly out of reach.

In each of Murray’s previous forays into the last four in Paris, the 28-year-old has come up against Rafael Nadal, akin to trying to get the better of a brick wall.

The Spaniard has been an immovable object for the past 11 years, boasting a record over that now reads 70 victories and just two defeats at Roland Garros following his shock defeat to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals this week.

While Nadal may have cleaned up at the French Open during Murray’s life as a professional tennis player, Djokovic and Roger Federer have stood in his path at the other three majors.

Federer famously reduced Murray to tears after beating him in the 2012 Wimbledon final.

But in that moment of public desperation came a chink of light as a decidedly underwhelmed British public started to take Murray to their hearts.

He had been a hard sell up to that point, partly because of his sometimes dour persona but largely down to the fact he had flattered to deceive on the big stage.

As well as a couple of humbling defeats in the French Open semi-finals, the man from Dunblane also lost four Grand Slam finals – one at Wimbledon, two at the Australian Open and one at Flushing Meadows – before he finally overcame his demons to beat Djokovic to win the 2012 US Open.

The following year Murray became the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the title at SW19, but as yet he has been unable to add to his two major victories.

After struggling to come to terms with two legends of the sport in Federer and Nadal, more recently it has been Djokovic who has stolen his thunder, beating him twice in the Australian Open final.

And yet again it is Djokovic – the world number one – who stands in his way of Grand Slam glory.

The talented Serb is unbeaten on clay this year and will take on Murray in the semi-finals today eager to claim his first French Open title and complete the career grand slam.

There will certainly be no shame for Murray if he does lose to Djokovic, who is destined to go down as one of the legends of the sport.

But despite spending his career tantalisingly close to the spotlight without ever quite managing to get out of the shadows – one stat stands out for Murray.

He is now one of only six men in history to have reached the semi-final of all four Grand Slam events on three separate occasions.

Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl are the only two men in that list who are not currently playing, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic being the other three.

Murray will forever be mentioned in the same breath as those exceptional talents, and for that reason he will have to go down as one of the greatest British sportsmen of all time.