Andy Murray’s best French chance, says Becker

ANDY Murray’s first clay-court outing might have been short-lived but six-times Grand Slam champion Boris Becker believes he will never get a better chance to win the French Open than this year.

Murray defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters, having received a bye in the first, but the 25-year-old made a catalogue of errors in his third round clash with Stanislas Wawrinka and was booed after falling 6-1, 6-2.

Having reached No 2 in the world after his win at the Miami Masters last month, Murray dropped down to No 3 with Roger Federer back in second place behind Novak Djokovic, but Becker isn’t worried and believes the form and fitness of rivals Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal are worse than his own – something that will play into his hands at the French Open.

“Clay is not his best surface, he seems to struggle a little bit but the top guys right now are in some trouble,” said Becker, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open three times.

“Rafael Nadal is still not quite there in my opinion, Roger is getting older and has taken a bit of a sabbatical and Novak lost surprisingly early in Indian Wells and Miami and has picked up an injury. This year is probably one of, if not the best chance, Murray will ever get at winning the French Open. With a fully-fit Nadal who is in form, you are only every going to be second best. But with Nadal still on the comeback trail there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel for players like Andy.”

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