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Murray has nothing to lose in Paris

Andy Murray will take a huge psychological boost from his opening round victory over Richard Gasquet © Getty Images

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For someone who couldn't win just a month ago, Andy Murray now can't lose. Not in the sense that he can't lose a match, as his opening round encounter against Richard Gasquet showed his game is still pretty fragile, but regardless of the outcome in Paris, Murray is in a win-win situation.

Murray's form since his final defeat to Federer at the Australian Open has been stuttering. In Dubai he was the experimental, and in Miami, well just didn't look interested. Heading into the clay season with just a handful of wins under his belt was always going to be dangerous, and after his early exit to Phillip Kohlschreiber things were looking very miserable for the British No. 1. But in Rome and Madrid two weeks ago he looked to have finally rediscovered that winning formula.

When the French Open draw was announced on Friday, Murray's heart must have sank. While Rafael Nadal has the French wildcard Gianni Mina, Murray's first round opponent is the calibre of a player Murray could ordinarily expect to meet in the third round. Gasquet's lengthy absence through injury and the doping ban means he is the forgotten man of the tennis world, but in front of a partisan French crowd he was the ultimate banana skin.

Two sets to the good and a break up, Gasquet was on the verge of an upset. But whether it was a sheer collapse from the Frenchman, who was clearly suffering from fatigue in the closing stages, a determined display from Murray, or more likely a combination between the two, Murray pulled off an impressive turnaround. To come from two sets down to beat Gasquet will be a huge boost for the Scot.

His route to the quarter-finals now looks pretty secure. Next up is Juan Ignacio Chela, who he beat comfortably in Madrid two weeks ago. But realistically, what are Murray's targets in Paris? Murray is adamant that it is a case of when, not if, he wins his first Grand Slam title, but that maiden slam is unlikely to be on the clay.

To put it bluntly, Murray's chances of winning the French Open this year are virtually zilch. But whatever happens in Paris this week, Murray has nothing to lose. On paper, a semi-final showing for the world No. 4 should be his aim, but matching last year's quarter-final appearance seems to be a more reasonable target.

Murray reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year © Getty Images

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A good winning run in Paris means another few wins under Murray's belt and a big boost for his confidence heading into the grass-court season. There is no substitute for match practice. That said, an early exit may not be such bad news after all. Getting knocked out in the first week would mean the Scot can get a head start on preparing for the grass-court season where his chances of a maiden Grand Slam are vastly greater.

Should Nadal reach the final in Paris next weekend, and let's be honest, they may as well start engraving his name in the Coupe de Mousquetaires now, it will be a quick turnaround to appear at Queen's the following day.

He managed it two years ago, where he won Roland Garros for the fourth year running, before winning Queen's for the first time and went on to snatch Federer's Wimbledon crown. But regardless of how well Nadal is playing, he is not the same player he was two years ago, and has admitted he needs to be more careful if he is to avoid the injury problems he suffered last year.

Murray is the defending champion at Queen's and enjoyed a good run at Wimbledon last year, when the fans on Murray Mount had plenty to cheer about. In his four appearances at SW19, Murray has gone one better every year. On his debut in 2005, aged 19 he reached the third round, and the following year he made it to the quarter-finals where he was beaten by Marcos Baghdatis.

In 2008 he was knocked out by eventual champion Rafael Nadal, and last year he reached the semi-finals, where he was downed in a gruelling five-setter by an inspired Andy Roddick.

If he continues to follow the trend, then Murray is on course for a third Grand Slam final, and with the support of the crowd at Wimbledon, who knows what could happen?

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