Andy Murray, the no. 1 seed and also the no. 1 in the ATP rankings, is trying to reach another Grand Slam final at Roland Garros. Last year, he was a runner-up losing to Novak Djokovic (the world no. 1 at that time) at the end of a 4 sets final. Once he stole the first seat away from Djokovic, Murray had his own problems to deal with. Whether it's been about the pressure of handling the new status, or the injuries he's been through lately, Murray needs to regroup fast if he wants to keep his leverage. In this year's equation, Wimbledon might be crucial for those involved at the top.

But the french open is also a great spot to start putting the things back together.

Murray will face Juan Martin del Potro

The round of 32 is putting Murray in front of a difficult test as he is scheduled to play against Juan Martin del Potro. The 28-year-old Argentine is having a good run in Paris especially after he was not sure of his entrance in the contest due to some lingering injuries in his back and shoulder. Their clash could produce an elevated level of tennis. Overall, Murray leads del Potro 6-3 in head-to-head stats. Regarding the surface of their next collision, it'll mark their 3rd meeting on a clay court. Their head-to-head stats on the clay is 1-1. Murray won in Rome back in 2008, while the Argentine leveled the score a year later in Madrid.

The winner of Murray vs del Potro clash will have either John Isner (22 ATP) or Karen Khachanov (53 ATP) as the opponent in the round of 16.

del Potro could be just the beginning of a hard time in Paris

The world's no. 1 player will have to work himself around the clock in order to defend last year's result. If he gets past del Potro a possible duel with the big server Isner will not be as easy as the ranking gap between them indicates.

Moving forward, the quarterfinals stage could have Murray confronting Nishikori, Verdasco, Cuevas or the young rising star Hyeon Chung. Each one of them has shown a great appetite for success lately, and clay seems to work well for them. The semis are under Stan Wawrinka's shadow. But nothing is sure, and players like Marin Cilic or Fabio Fognini might want a place at the big table.

The big final will probably deliver Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic from the other side of the main draw.

Once the clay court swing will be done and dusted, Andy Murray will shift his focus to the grass season where even bigger challenges await. He is the defending champion at Wimbledon, and by the mid of July, the course of the remaining season will have a clearer route.