Andy Murray has historically been an average clay courter, but last week he firmly made his mark on the dirt. Clay is known for being physically grueling, so for Murray to play 10 matches in 12 days was a tough challenge. This part of the season is long and busy with little time to rest between events. He's played matches in Munich in a very tight schedule due to bad weather conditions too.
The final was postponed to Monday, giving him hardly any time to prepare for Madrid. The Scot played physically demanding matches in Madrid and managed to reach the very end, winning his first clay masters title. It's clear to understand why he is so fatigued. Murray has always made a big effort to improve fitness levels which perhaps were not always as impressive as those of the rest of the big four.
The day after his victory in his second round match in Rome, Andy Murray held a press conference to announce his news. "I always want to play. That's why, when we chatted, we didn't just speak for two minutes. It was a proper conversation and weighing up all of the pros and cons. I'm very tired just now and I need to take a break."
"My body has never been through that before on the clay. It's a surface I've always struggled on physically. My body's always found the surface difficult. This year, it's been very good."
Resting before Roland Garros is a very sensible idea of course. Murray now will have over a week at home to prepare himself physically and mentally for one of the most important events of the year. Believe it or not, Andy Murray will enter the French Open unbeatable on the clay (10-0). With the right recovery next week, he's sure to have a very good run in Paris.