World number one Andy Murray has called his Roland Garros campaign to be a successful one as he now hopes to step up big-time and do some damage during the grass-court season. The 30-year-old reached his fifth semi-final on the clay of Paris this past week, where he narrowly ended on the losing side in a five-setter to eventual runner-up Stan Wawrinka.
Prior to the only Grand Slam tournament played on clay, Scot Murray bowed out in early stages of every Masters 1000 event he had played on the dirt this season. However, wins over well-known Juan Martin del Potro and Kei Nishikori as well as rising Karen Khachanov at the Parisian Major helped the Scot to catch some rhythm and momentum going.
''Hadn't I done well in Paris I would have come to the grass-court season very low on confidence and low on matches,'' Murray told Sky Sports. ''Winning five matches there, then losing the semi-final match to Stan Wawrinka was obviously tough, but I think it will help me during the grass-court season. I feel a lot better about my game now. "
Grass over clay
Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray will soon be playing tennis on a much more favorable surface to him -- grass. Since the beginning of his career, Murray preferred faster surfaces over clay as it suits better his game-style. One of the biggest improvements in his game, which came in recent years, was the ability to start performing on a much higher level on the dirt.
Murray, who was clearly struggling on the slowest tennis surface earlier in his career, has become a legitimate threat and contender at every clay-court event, winning three titles on that surface since 2015 and picking up a couple of runner-up finishes. Though improved, Murray is not ready to change his feelings when it comes to that matter.
''Grass is the surface I'm a lot more comfortable than the clay,'' he said. ''Hopefully, I can have a good run (on grass this year).''
Hoping for a 2013 and 2016 scenario
Andy Murray was as dominant as he could last year, finishing the grass season with a 12-0 record to capture titles at the Aegon Championships in Queen's and Wimbledon.
It was the second time in his career that he was able to conclude the season on grass without a loss -- the same scenario was the case in 2013 when he had won his maiden crown at The All England Club.
Two-time Olympics champion Murray year in and year out plays only at Queen's and Wimbledon at this part of the year, and there won't be any changes this year, as the Scot is set to kick off his preparations for the third Grand Slam of the season next week at the London suburb.
Murray, who holds a record of five Queen's titles, would love to win his third consecutive and six titles overall at the prestigious grass event and enter Wimbledon on a good tale.
