Andy Murray uncertain whether to play Roland-Garros following Italian Open exit
Andy Murray knows Wimbledon is his best chance of a deep run but also wants to play at least one more French Open
Andy Murray, Rome 2023 – © AI / Reuters / Panoramic
Andy Murray remains unsure if he will play Roland-Garros this year, following a first-round loss to Fabio Fognini at the Italian Open this week.
There are ongoing discussions among Murray’s team about the best course of action, following a disappointing clay-court season in which he has lost each of his three matches in the three clay-court Masters 1000 events.
Given that clay courts provide the most bruising physical challenge, the view among some in the Murray camp is that focusing on the grass season may be wise for a player whose physical maintenance at nearly 36 years old – and with a metal hip – remains of imperative importance.
Wimbledon preparation imperative
With the grass-court season just over a month away, Murray has revealed that scrapping the rest of the clay-court season and turning his focus to the grass remains a very real possibility. But the fact that this year’s French Open may be Murray’s last makes him reluctant to miss the clay-court showpiece.
Murray, who did boost his confidence by winning a Challenger Tour title in France earlier this month, could drop down to the Challenger Tour next week, but he’s not so keen on adding another event in the week before Roland-Garros itself.
“There’s the possibility of playing the tournament next week in France. Whether I’d consider playing the week before the French Open or not, I really don’t know. I’ll need to have a chat with the team and see what the best thing to do is.”
Andy Murray speaking to The Guardian following his first-round loss to Fabio Fognini at the Italian Open
Murray won the Aix-en-Provence Challenger event in the week prior to the Italian Open, something which significantly helped his match court time and his ranking. Now No 40 in the live rankings, a win or two in Paris – or a good run at one or two of the grass-court events could help him achieve one of his goals from the start of the season, being seeded at Wimbledon, where he feels his best chance of a deep run lies.
Roland-Garros choice a question of priorities
Despite the physical rigours of clay-court tennis, the former world No 1 says this is not his primary concern.
“It’s not so much about (physical worries). I trust that my body will be OK after what I did at the beginning of the year. I played back-to-back five-hour matches and did well physically in those matches. There’s no reason why that should necessarily be any different here”.
“It was just more to see where my game is at. It’s just what the right thing is to prioritise at this stage in my career. I trust my body now but I’m aware that my best chance of having a deep run is more likely to happen at Wimbledon.”
Since his career-threatening hip surgery in 2019, Murray has opted to skip the French Open in all but one season. It remains to be seen whether he decides to test himself in Paris.
Whatever the outcome, the priority will likely remain ensuring that he can be in peak form and physical shape when the Wimbledon fortnight comes around.
