World number one Andy Murray is preparing to play one of his trickiest first-round matches at a Grand Slam tournament in recent years when he takes on Andrey Kuznetsov, the player ranked at number 85, at Roland Garros. British tennis player Murray has failed to impress with his results so far this season and has been hit by a couple of health setbacks as well.
Murray's disappointing form includes round-of-16 exits at the Masters 1000 clay-court events of Monte Carlo and Madrid, and, most recently, a second-round showing at the Rome Masters. Murray has a record of just four wins and four losses on clay this year.
The 30-year-old's build up for the second Grand Slam event of the season didn't go quite as expected.
Amidst all of that, British tabloid The Independent reported on Thursday that Murray is taking antibiotics to treat an illness ahead of the tournament. Earlier this campaign, Murray had to shake off shingles and has had some elbow problems as well.
Get some momentum going
Andy Murray will be hoping to find a way to make it through the first-round against Roland Garros. Murray is eager to get in some kind of good form and rhythm early on in Paris. But, the question remains how much can he offer, as no one can say how good or bad state he is at the moment.
The two know each other
Andy Murray and Andrey Kuznetsov will be meeting for the third time in their respective careers when they face off at Roland Garros.
The head-to-head record favors Murray, who has a 2-0 edge over Kuznetsov, having defeated the Russian at the US Open in 2014 and last year in Beijing. It will be their first encounter on clay as the previous two came on an outdoor hard surface.
Keys to the match
Andy Murray needs to establish a good game from the baseline early on and don't let Andrey Kuznetsov dictate the points.
Kuznetsov, who has his height listed at 185 centimeters, possesses a solid serve and could be out there looking to hit some winner shots. However, Murray is as good as anyone when it comes to returning serves and defending exceptionally. Should Murray be his old self, returning deep and not giving any cheap points, Kuznetsov could find himself in a big trouble.
Also, Murray would love to have his serve click as that would give him a chance to win some open up court nicely and win some easy points. Murray has been struggling with his serve this year but it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be the case at Roland Garros.
No upsets
Andy Murray is expected to book a ticket for the second-round of Roland Garros. Though Murray is not in an ideal situation, it would be hard to see him bow out immediately. Kuznetsov could put in some resistance and contest Murray, but hard to see it doing any bigger damage to Murray. A three-set win, or in the worst scenario a four-set win, should be the case for Murray.
Murray's
