Andy Murray's forgettable season set to end in the most forgettable manner

A few weeks before the tournament, referred to as 'the fifth slam', Murray was sweating on qualification having struggled throughout 2014

Before October 13 - the day of which Murray found himself competing in the Erste Bank Open in Vienna for the very first time, hoping to pick up some up ATP points to make up the ground on the leading pack - the British number one had won just one tournament all year.

Murray had reached the last four at the French Open - his best result in any of the four slams - and had to wait until September 28 to reach his first final since the historic Wimbledon win in 2013, at the Shenzhen Open./span>

Murray then washed up in Vienna for his debut in a seemingly lesser tournament, desperate for the 250 ATP points handed out to the victor. After a bye in the first round, the 27-year-old dropped just one set, in the final to David Ferrer, as he recovered from an early one-set deficit to wrap up his second title of the year.

Murray followed that victory up with a second consecutive title as he travelled to Valencia, leaving him just two wins away from a spot alongside his fellow top-eight players.

Not only did Murray have his sights set firmly on the O2 in London, but the Scot was gathering momentum and had a few decent victories under his belt. The two-time Grand Slam champion embarked on a nine-match winning streak - a rarity in what had become a frustratingly inconsistent season.

And that momentum came at the perfect time with the season's final tournament fast approaching.

Those two victories proved relatively easy for Murray, easing past Julien Benneteau and Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, before his impressive run came to a rather resounding end as he was dismissed by world number one Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Regardless, Murray's spot in London was secure and the Brit could dream about being crowned Finals champion, however unlikely that may be.

After being drawn in a group alongside the in-form Milos Raonic - who has enjoyed his finest season on the tour to date - and the evergreen Roger Federer, Murray would have looked at his first match against Japan's Kei Nishikori as a must-win.

That was not how it panned out, however.

His first appearance at the year-ending tournament, facing an opponent whom he'd never beaten and on home soil, Nishikori could be forgiven for first-set nerves.

Asia's first Tour Finals representative wobbled to a gutsy hold in the third game of the match, saving a break point, before settling down and securing his own break of serve against the home favourite to lead 4-2.

And as has been the case for Nishikori, in this, his breakthrough year on the tour, the Japanese star displayed the confidence to secure an impressive victory, despite resistance from Murray midway through the second stanza.

Nishikori has finally found the belief required to succeed at the very top, something he admitted was lacking when he first arrived on the scene.

"I was struggling with that (the mentality), because when I was a junior, I wasn't thinking too much. I could play good tennis against anybody. But after turning pro I paid too much respect to everybody, especially the top players," Nishikori said.

"The first time I played Roger, I couldn't play. I respected him too much. I wasn't even going for the win. I was just playing tennis against my idol. That was a problem I had.

"But after a couple of years I became mentally strong. I have to be strong to beat them, and now I believe in myself."

Confidence is not something Murray is short on, but the performance against Nishikori was stale and lacked tempo.

Given the nature of the way in which the Brit scraped his way into the Finals in the first place, it would come as no surprise to see his tournament end in a desperately disappointing fashion, magnifying what an entirely forgettable season this has been.