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There he was, mouth agape, roaring like a Highlands warrior in full battle cry in “Braveheart.”

The force from Andy Murray’s lungs seemed to add heft to the forehand winner he hurled down the line. The match turned there — in the fifth game of the second set — and it would not be long before the 22-year-old Scot was on his way to the Australian Open final.

After dropping serve twice in the opening set to Croatia’s Marin Cilic, Murray recovered to win the semifinal 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and reach his second Grand Slam final.

“It was really important because I don’t want to say the match was slipping away from me, but the momentum was definitely with [Cilic],” Murray said.

Now, with only top-ranked Roger Federer ahead, he is one win from breaking a drought for British men at the four majors that dates to Fred Perry in 1936.

That’s a lot of pressure on Murray. It proved too much for the likes of Tim Henman, John Lloyd and others.

Murray is the first British man to reach two Grand Slam finals in the Open era and the first to reach the Australian Open final since Lloyd in 1977.

Federer, who beat Murray in the US Open final in 2008, is in his 23rd consecutive Grand Slam semifinal — more than double the previous record — and has won a record 15 major singles titles.

But Murray, who beat an injured Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, has a 6-4 record in head-to-heads with Federer. That gives hope to millions of Britons. And that’s also why Murray is happy to be on the other side of the world.

“You don’t really feel it that much. Wimbledon is a bit different, especially in the lead-up to the tournament,” Murray said.

“But when you’re away, don’t take any notice of it … just kind of avoid it, I guess.” AP