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Patient Murray looking for Madrid success

Andy Murray has spent time on the practice courts ahead of the Madrid Masters © Getty Images

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Andy Murray has been seeded third at the Madrid Masters following Novak Djokovic's withdrawal from the event after suffering with illness.

Djokovic retired from his Serbia Open quarter-final match against fellow Serb Filip Krajinovic after suffering a recurrence of sinus problems.

Murray, who has managed just one win on clay in two tournaments this season, will meet either Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas or Argentinian qualifier Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round. Despite his stuttering form, the British No. 1 is confident he has rediscovered the winning formula.

Murray has been criticised for not being aggressive enough in his play, but the Scot insists remaining patient is more important.

"If you want to play well on clay your patience needs to be secure," he said. "In Monte Carlo, I had no patience; I was making mistakes early in the rally. You have to play 20 or 30 shots, good shots and it's very important to do that at the start of the match.

"If you are constantly putting balls in court, your opponent will start to feel the pressure, but if you start off badly and impatient, it's difficult to get that back once you get into the match. This is one of the basic things of clay, although it has changed a little bit in the last few years because the courts are quicker and players are hitting the ball harder."

Should Murray progress past the second round and enjoy a winning run in the Spanish capital, he could meet top seed and defending champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals, although the world No. 1 has been far from convincing on clay so far this season.

Rafael Nadal is the favourite to win his third title in a row and claim his 18th Masters title to break Andre Agassi's record.

Nadal is 4/11 to win his first title in Madrid since 2005 with Stan James

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