Andy Murray on his secret weapon

Andy Murray signs autographs for his growing number of fans on the eve of Sunday's Wimbledon final. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Andy Murray hopes the nation will help him beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon on Sunday, an endearing sentiment and one that might well come to pass. But he knows a greater truth already: like a fighter, he is in there by himself, throwing and taking the bombs alone, and, when the sun goes down, the victory, if he manages it, will be his alone, whatever the lachrymose courtside celebrations afterwards and the subsequent tidal wave of emotion that will envelop him.

As he left Court 15 on Saturday aafter hitting with his long-time friend and training partner, Dani Valverdu, his demeanour was as inscrutable as it always is before big matches but he did share a moment to reveal what he is feeling before his third grand slam final in a row against the same adversary, Novak Djokovic.

He is aware of his rise in popularity since a BBC all-access documentary recently showed a side of him most people do not see – altogether funnier and more relaxed than his on-court persona – but it is not something that concerns him.

"The only time I am seeing people is when I am on the court," he said, "but whether that is down to the documentary or what happened last year [when he won Olympic gold] I don't know really. The support has been unbelieveable at the end of the matches and that is what you need if you want to try to win these events. It would make a huge difference if the crowd are right on my side. All I care about is winning."

When asked what it has been like for those close to him the past few days, particularly his girlfriend, Kim Sears, he said: "I have no idea whether it is tougher for her or me. She is the person you would need to ask. I think it is a different sort of stress. Obviously she would like me to win but last year after the Wimbledon final, although I didn't win, it wasn't so much about that – she just wanted me to be OK. For friends and family, although they want me to win, but if not then they just want you to be OK."

It is a curiously caring way to look at success and failure in a sporting event, however grand, as if defeat will send him into a spiral of self-loathing, and what friends are more concerned about is for Murray "to be OK". They have had reason to worry in the past. When he lost to Roger Federer in the Australian Open final in 2010, his tennis fell to pieces and he declared in Miami that he "needed to start enjoying my tennis again".

It seems so long ago. He has transformed not just his game but his attitude. Like his Spanish friend, Rafael Nadal, he can look at tennis and its pressures with a wider perspective, handle setbacks better and, as a result, play more freely.

He would still like to win this final for those millions who have gradually but undeniably taken him to their hearts. On Sunday, he hopes, they will drink in the summer sun, maybe catch the final together and give him a collective cheer, from the seats on Centre Court to those on the hill outside and in front of their television sets around the country.

"When you are on the court you are obviously just in the moment, you know what is going on in the crowd, but there are so many other people out there. Loads of people just queue to watch on the hill. It is just a shame that the stadium isn't bigger."

Will nerves get to him – as they almost did before he won his breakthrough grand slam title at the US Open last year? "I definitely feel calmer today than I did on the Saturday last year. So hopefully when I get on the court tomorrow I will be a bit fresher mentally.

"Sometimes nerves and stress can take a bit out of you physically, so the calmer I can stay in the next 24 hours or so will help as well."

He confessed he did not sleep well after winning his tense semi-final against the young Polish prospect Jerzy Janowicz on Friday night. "Not particularly. It was a late finish so I will try to get a good sleep tonight."

Often he will take his dogs for a walk to get tennis out of his head during the championships. But not this Sunday morning. "I like staying at home during Wimbledon and having the dogs around is good. But I play 99% of my matches without having them around and it doesn't affect me.

"The one thing it helps with is keeping my mind off the matches, or what is going on on the TV. I won't walk the dogs in the morning. I will try to sleep as late as I can."

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