Andy Murray up and loaded for the French Open
His season so far has had more ups and downs than a road in Finland. But in Andy Murray’s opinion, he should not worry about his performances in relatively unimportant tournaments around the world. Known to be a big match player, his performances in Grand Slam events are there for everyone to see.
One could say that Murray flunked bad at the Australian Open in January. Since the defeat, he has brought a lot of stability in his performance as the seasons have gone by. He eventually found some form during the Madrid Masters. However, critics have argued that it was a fluke.
Murray, currently ranked number four, lost in the opening match in Melbourne. After a good run in the tournament, he met David Ferrer at the Madrid Masters who defeated him quite comprehensively. Murray believes that his time for lying low should come to an end if he wants to be on top in international tennis.
After he won his exhausting match against Mardy Fish in Paris, he said, “Last year, I got asked a lot of questions about why I wasn't doing as well in the slams”. Murray went on to say that he was distracted by unimportant tournaments which had resulted in a poor show at the Grand Slams.
The star seems to be more focused towards the Grand Slams. He said, “It’s all well and good winning the Masters Series but the slams are what is important. This year, the one slam I played, I played very, very well - the best tennis of my life. There was definitely a little dip after that in Miami and in Monte Carlo. But I feel good again, I'm winning matches and this is now a very important five, six weeks ahead."
About the upcoming events he said, “I’ve got the French Open and Wimbledon coming up and they’re the tournaments where I want to try to perform my best.”
At the French Open, he will face former world number 7 Richard Gasquet from France. Though Gasquet has dropped in the world rankings to 68 due to drug allegations, he is still a formidable opponent. Both Gasquet and Murray have had a history too. Two years ago, both players had met each other at Wimbledon. The Scot won a thriller back then. However, the Frenchman will be up to take revenge. If he wins against Gasquet, he will then have a tough match against Juan Ignacio Chela.
Murray, who just turned 23, said that it would make no difference to him whoever he faces. Be it Nadal, Federer or Gasquet. He said, “I don’t care - makes no difference to me. There’s a lot of tennis to be played before worrying about either of those...”
However, it is certainly on his mind that an easier qualifying round would be better. He said, “Anyone would like an easier path – that’s without question.”
The tournament will start on Sunday and Murray is up and ready for all the surprises coming his way. He won a tough match against Fish after immediately landing in France. He said, “We got in late yesterday so I guess it was kind of a good way to get over the travel. We were out there for quite a long time - I don’t know exactly how long. But I practiced for an hour before the match and I’m guessing that (match) was at least two hours.”
Before the start of the tournament he said he was experiencing a sore knee but will recover from it very soon. He optimistically said, “It was good to get some time on the court... I’m sure it’ll be fine by the start of the tournament.”
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