Andy Murray could be among the top favorites to win the French Open in Paris following a masterful win in Rome.
Murray may have improved his chances to win a third Grand Slam title at the French Open after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final round of the Italian Open, marking the Scot's first ATP Tour level title of the season.
Murray, now back as world No. 2 after slipping down the rankings, was able to immediately redeem himself after losing to the Serb in the final round of the Madrid Open earlier this month, significantly boosting the odds of another victory in the clay-season finale in Paris.
While Murray may still be too far from lining himself up at the level of Rafael Nadal's excellence on the clay surface, the Scot's transformation of game in the European clay-season has been remarkable amid the Spaniard's return to the tennis scene and Djokovic's dominance.
In all of Murray's 36 ATP titles, only three came from clay-surfaced tournaments, including last year's victory in Munich and Madrid. The 29-year-old also has a measly 69.7 winning percentage on the mentioned surface, although Murray is convinced playing on clay courts may have turned out as his specialty.
"I've played well on all of the surfaces, but in the last couple of years clay has probably been my most successful surface, which, I never, never expected to be the case," Murray said, reports the Independent.
"I always thought clay was my worst and hardest surface, but then last year, getting some wins against the best players made me realise things a little bit more. My coaches had said to me that clay should really be my best surface, but it took me a long time to gain a little bit of confidence."
The two-time Grand Slam champion has never won a title in the French capital, but he has was close to winning the major event in the last two years with consecutive semifinal appearances.
After toppling Djokovic and Nadal in the lead-up tournaments, there is a slight chance Murray could pull off another stunner to win the French Open, but he will certainly need all the confidence and momentum when he steps on the red dirt of Stade Roland Garros.