Andy Murray says his victory in the Madrid Masters proves he can compete for Grand Slam glory at the French Open later this month.
The Scot scored his first victory over Rafael Nadal on clay in the Madrid decider courtesy of a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 success.
Nadal had been aiming for a fifth tournament win in Madrid but Murray proved to be too good as he outgunned the home favourite.
Afterwards, Murray felt he had dictated the terms of the final.
“It’s one of the hardest things in tennis to try and win against Rafa on clay, so I’m glad I’ve managed to do it,” Murray said.
“I made very few errors and changed the height of the ball extremely well, which was part of the reason why he was mistiming a few shots.”
Nadal heads to Paris in pursuit of a 10th French Open success but having defeated the Spaniard on his preferred surface for the first time, Murray feels he is now in a position to challenge for Roland Garros success.
“I have played well at Roland Garros in the past,” Murray said. “Last year my game was not ready to win, whereas the previous time against Rafa there I played well. I don’t think I would go into the French as one of the favourites but if I play like that I’ll give myself an opportunity.”
Murray also has Davis Cup actions to look forward to this summer and his Great Britain team are 11.00 to win the tournament outright.
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