Andy Murray's watershed victory over Roger Federer in their semi-final on Friday night could provide the impetus for the rising Scotsman to capture his maiden Australian Open crown.
Heading into the final-four encounter at Rod Laver Arena, Murray held a positive 10-9 head-to-head record against Federer.
But the reigning US Open champion had lost all three of their clashes in grand slams.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that each of those meetings were in finals.
While the first couple of those losses - in the 2008 US Open and 2010 Australian Open finals - were easier to accept - given Murray was still a boy learning his trade in a man's world - it was the third of those meetings at last year's Wimbledon tournament that had the potential to have a lasting impact on Murray's psyche.
The world number three headed into that match-up as the marginal favourite and the time appeared right for Great Britain's 76-year men's singles grand slam title drought to finally come to an end.
The match looked as though it was going to script after Murray won the first set, but Federer responded to show why he is the modern day king of the All England Club by taking the next three sets to clinch his record-equalling seventh Wimbledon crown.
Murray was reduced to tears following that encounter with disbelieving thoughts of 'what just happened?' and 'how did I lose that?' doubtlessly racing through his tormented mind.
That was supposed to be his moment of triumph. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
But Murray began the healing process by conquering the same opponent who denied him Wimbledon glory at the same venue a few months later to capture Olympic singles gold.
Fast forward to September, and another giant step was taken when Murray broke through for his first major triumph when he claimed the US Open title against world number one Novak Djokovic - the same man who now stands in the way of the Briton's Australian Open dream.
The curse of Fred Perry had at last been broken.
So given Murray had cleared some significant mental hurdles in the latter half of 2012, it was only fitting then that he would be presented with another dragon to slay in the first month of 2013.
Federer in a grand slam tournament.
This time the pair would be battling for a place in a final rather than facing off for the silverware, but the importance of the challenge for Murray wasn't diluted one bit.
Murray began the match on the attack and his dominance of serve in particular helped him to a two-sets-to-one lead.
When he then broke Federer to love in the 11th game of the fourth set to lead 6-5, and given the 17-time grand slam champion's virtual inability to crack the third seed's serve all night, the result appeared destined to go only one way when Murray led 30-15.
But somehow Federer picked himself up off the canvas, won the next three points, broke Murray and forced a tie-breaker which he won convincingly 7-2 to force a fifth set.
The win was there for Murray's taking but he somehow managed to blow it.
At this point the world number three would have been well within his rights to think 'uh oh, it's happening again. Federer always has my measure in grand slams'.
But to his credit, he dusted himself off, got back on the horse and disposed of Federer emphatically 6-2 in the fifth set to advance to his third Australian Open final in four years.
Another mental hurdle overcome.
Murray would understandably feel bulletproof at the moment and it's that sense of invincibility that may just work in his favour when he locks horns with Djokovic for the right to hold the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup aloft.