Dust-up in the red clay

20 May 2016 - 10:16 By Reuters

Andy Murray has been the standout performer on clay for the past 12 months but world No1 Novak Djokovic will be favourite to complete his set of grand slams at this year's French Open. Murray, according to the ATP Performance Zone stats, has won 85% of his matches on the red dust this year and last, more than any other player.Having been at 70% for the first 10 years of his career, the improvement shows how at home the Briton now feels on a surface he once treated with suspicion.His victory over Djokovic in Sunday's Italian Open final may have been aided by his opponent's energy levels being drained after a gruelling semifinal win over Kei Nishikori the night before. But it also was a timely statement of intent from the world No2.Djokovic's loss to Murray - only his second in their last 14 meetings - will have planted a few seeds of doubt in the Serb's mind as he again targets the one major to elude him.After edging past Murray in last year's semifinals, the career slam seemed to be in the palm of his hand but he was hijacked in the final by Stan Wawrinka.That experience will simply add to his motivation, though."I don't feel shaken up by this loss," Djokovic, the only player in the all-time top five winning percentages on clay not to have won Roland Garros, said after losing to Murray in Italy."Now it's just fine-tuning," added the 11-times grand slam champion, who turns 29 on Sunday.Nine-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, is not used to playing second fiddle to anyone in Paris - and there are signs the Mallorcan is rediscovering his old power.Consecutive titles at Barcelona and Monte Carlo were followed by losses to Murray and Djokovic at Madrid and Rome, but the 29-year-old looks in far better shape than 12 months ago when he was humbled in the quarterfinals by Djokovic.Nadal could potentially face another quarterfinal against Djokovic as he will be seeded at five, two places lower than Roger Federer, who is struggling with his fitness.Of the other title contenders, Wawrinka proved last year that, on his day, he can be almost unplayable. ..

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