Sports

Murray out to start Britstorm in U.S. Open

The five rings aligned perfectly for Andy Murray during the London Olympics. In his home nation, Murray whipped Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and kicked dirt all over Roger Federer in the gold-medal match on the famous lawns of Wimbledon.

Now Murray tries to make the stars align in New York, tries to keep the Olympic flame burning in Flushing during this tennis fortnight at the U.S. Open.

Federer, at age 31, is gunning for his sixth Open but hasn’t won here since 2008. In a relatively off year, the no-longer dominating Djokovic looks to defend his Open crown. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, is back in Spain, nursing chronic knee pain.

It might finally be time for another British Invasion. Murray will try to prove his Olympic domination before jubilant British fans was no fluke. He could become the first British Grand Slam winner since 1936 and karma is on his side after Britain’s record-setting gold stash.

Murray didn’t just beat Federer, he mauled him 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 on Aug. 6 just weeks after losing a tough four-setter to the Swiss Maestro in the Wimbledon finals. Many believe Murray would have won Wimbledon had the match not been played under the roof after the Brit won the first set.

“Obviously winning the Olympics was the biggest win of my career, that’s for sure,’’ Murray said Saturday. “It meant a lot to me. The Wimbledon final, that’s the first time I have been there. I was happy with the way I played. It was obviously disappointing, a tough one to take, but I feel confident in myself just now. That’s what’s important.’’

John McErnoe, ESPN/CBS analyst, says Murray should be hungriest and the Open winner can stake claim to player of the year.

“I think Murray has got the most at stake, because, yes, he’s won this Olympic thing, but I think it’s pretty universally understood that it’s not quite — while more important obviously that it was at Wimbledon — it’s not thought of in the same way as the Slams,’’ McEnroe said. “So I don’t think the burr is off him, but I’m hoping that it can break the ice and he can win some slams. I think he has the most to lose and the most to gain.’’

Murray, who has been working with new coach Ivan Lendl, has taken his philosophy of limiting distractions and changed Manhattan hotels, staying in a less-bustling neighborhood.

“I’m staying in a quieter hotel than usual this time and just trying to make sure I don’t spend too much time around the courts, because it can be very busy, quite loud,’’ Murray said. “I like being able to get back to the room and chill out. Obviously New York can be very, very noisy if you’re staying right in the middle of Manhattan. That’s why I decided to change this year.’’

No, the reserved Scotsman is not going to be a Page Six staple, but he has his best chance ever to win this, despite lining up with No. 1 Federer in the semifinals, then possibly Djokovic in the final.

“I get asked that before every slam. Am I more confident?’’ Murray said. “You never know what’s going to happen when you get out there on the court. I prepared well.’’

Federer has his own mental block to overcome. His run of five straight titles ended in 2009 when Juan Martin del Potro snapped his reign in a five-set marathon. Federer has blown match points against Djokovic in 2010 and 2011 meltdowns.

But after extending his Slam-title record to 17 with his Wimbledon win and reaching No. 1 again, few are doubting Federer’s ability to win a sixth Open.

The greatest of all-time is feeling great again. “The matches were not always in my racket,’’ Federer said in comparing his feeling to last year. “Whereas maybe this time around I feel like if I’m playing well I can dictate who’s going to win or lose. It’s going to take something special from my opponent to win. That’s kind of how it feels right now.’’

ESPN’s Brad Gilbert, former coach of Andre Agassi, sees this Federer resurgence as similar to his former pupil’s.

“He’s the youngest 31-year-old ever,’’ Gilbert said of Federer. “I think he can take a lot of stock in what Andre did about six or seven years, seeing somebody that he can remember that played great until he was 35. He takes amazing, good care of his body and he never gets injured. He hasn’t had any injuries in his entire pro career.’’

marc.berman@nypost.com