With an undefeated 10-0 clay court record notched under his belt this season ahead of the prestigious Roland Garros Major championship, Andy Murray is likely more confident of his chances in Paris than ever before. The Briton will begin his fortnight against qualifier Facundo Arguello, whom he has never faced previously on the professional tour.
Following a remarkable few weeks on the professional tour, where he compiled an undefeated record spanning across two (and a half) tournaments, Andy Murray chose to withdraw from Rome citing fatigue. The world No. 3 maintained his undefeated clay court streak when he toppled Rafael Nadal in straight sets to lift the Mutua Madrid Open title on Sunday. It was Murray’s second win at this event but his first since the tournament moved to clay. From there, he began his Rome campaign with a straight sets victory over Jeremy Chardy to bring his record to 10-0 on clay this season. He will head into the French Open with an undefeated streak.

“It’s probably the best I have played on clay, for sure. I mean, I never really felt particularly comfortable on the surface. I mean, sometimes by the time I got to the French Open I started to feel good, but, yeah, I mean, obviously winning tournaments and beating, you know, good players helps with the confidence. I just feel like I have an idea of what I’m doing on the court sometimes. In the past I have not really known what was happening on the court and felt like I was struggling with my movement. Whereas this year it doesn’t feel like that. I feel like I’m moving well. I feel a lot freer on the court. Body feels good. That’s positive.”

Murray will begin his week against Facundo Arguello, who notched a significant amount of clay court wins under his belt over the past few months, including a title win at the Tallahassee Challenger. He initially lost to Gastao Elias in the final round of the French Open qualifications but ended up with a lucky loser slot.

This is set to be the first time that these two competitors cross paths on the professional tour and should be a contest that Murray breezes through. However, he will still have to adjust to the court and get used to a new opponent who will be playing with nothing to lose.