Ask Andy Murray about the most memorable victories in his career and quickly revealed are two aspects of his character — the modest and the contrarian . There is no mention of ending Britain ’ s Wimbledon men ’ s singles drought , nor the similar emulating of Fred Perry at the US Open , nor the flaying he gave Roger Federer on Centre Court to win the Olympic gold medal . Instead , he refers to a win over an obscure journeyman ranked No 110 in the world , and another at a now-defunct and largely-forgotten tournament in California . Andy Murray warms up for match against Kevin Anderson in Miami on Monday . The subject arises because he has the opportunity to win a 500th professional singles match on Tuesday , when he takes on South Africa ’ s world No 15 Kevin Anderson in the fourth round of the Miami Open . It comes around nearly 12 years after making his professional debut as a 15-year-old in Manchester . He began with a victory over Wesley Moodie , another South African . Moodie was only just outside the top 100 at the time , so it was a fair indication of his opponent ’ s outstanding promise . Murray does not mention that one , but recalls two of the matches that set him on his way , and most clearly the period when he was trying to establish himself on the main ATP Tour . ‘ I remember certain wins , like the first one I had at Queen ’ s ( at the then Stella Artois Championships in 2005 ) against Santiago Ventura , ’ he says , referring to the then world No 110 . ‘ It might seem irrelevant now but at the time , for me , that was huge . It was big for my confidence , gave me a sense of belonging . I really remember those first few events on the tour , more than some of those in the last three or four years . Coach Amelie Mauresmo takes a photo of Murray during practice session . ‘ I can remember the players I played against around then . I went to Newport ( Rhode Island ) after my first Wimbledon and then I played in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. ’ By the end of that summer , not long after turning 18 , he was already knocking on the door of the top 100 and had beaten three players inside the top 30 . Early in 2006 comes the other match he picks out , the final of the indoor San Jose Open , where he beat former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt . ‘ That was a first ATP title for me and was really important , ’ he says . ‘ I was without a coach , only 18 , and Lleyton was someone I loved watching growing up . To win 7-6 in the third set at that age against someone as good as him , with no coach there , privately meant a lot . ‘ I didn ’ t really feel the pressure — it was , “ Here I am , I ’ m 18 and playing an ex-No 1 in the world , a great player and nothing is expected ” . ‘ I played ( Andy ) Roddick in the semis and didn ’ t feel nervous at all . It definitely changes over the years , you start to feel the expectation but then as you get older it changes again as you start to deal with the expectation and learn how to handle it. ’ Murray takes time out to signs autographs for fans in Miami on Monday . Interestingly , ask which win took the most out of him and he instead cites one of his 155 defeats , the near five-hour loss in the 2012 Australian Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic . The Serb subsequently managed probably the most talked about recovery in history , beating Rafael Nadal two days later in nearly six hours to win the title . ‘ Against Novak in the Australian Open was the hardest match , I ’ ve no idea how he managed to recover and win the final . I literally couldn ’ t walk for four days . That was the match my body hurt the most after finishing . I was extremely sore , stiff , everything hurt. ’ Murray is guaranteed to overtake Nadal in next week ’ s rankings after his defeat on Sunday by Fernando Verdasco . The Spaniard heads to Monte Carlo to begin what is usually a triumphant roll through the European clay courts admitting he is lacking confidence and that he ‘ needs to fix again ’ the nerves that have affected him this season . The 28-year-old insisted there are no hidden physical issues behind his modest 15-5 record this year . Normally the mere feel of the dirt under his feet imbues Nadal with belief , and with Djokovic targeting Roland Garros above all else this year , he will need all of that .
Andy Murray takes on Kevin Anderson in fourth round at Miami Open . The 27-year-old Scot recorded his 499th victory against ATP Tour . It comes nearly 12 years after making his professional debut as 15-year-old .