Tuesday’s cover: Andy Murray is peaking just in time for the French Open

The National’s Sport cover for the Tuesday, May 17 issue features world No 2 Andy Murray as he celebrates his Rome Masters title win over Novak Djokovic. The Scot should be a favourite for the French Open.

The National's Sport cover for the Tuesday, May 17 issue features world No 2 Andy Murray as he celebrates his Rome Masters title win over Novak Djokovic. Because of his recent clay success, our Ahmed Rizvi thinks he should be considered as a favourite for the upcoming French Open in Paris.

Read more: Andy Murray, late clay bloomer, has usurped French Open favourite tag from Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic

"I never expected to be having the results I have been having on clay," Murray said on Sunday after defeating Djokovic 6-3, 6-3 in the Rome final to celebrate his 29th birthday with the second Masters 1000 clay court title of his career.

“Maybe I didn’t believe enough in myself. I always thought clay was my worst and hardest surface for me. But then last year, getting some wins against the best players made me realise a little bit. I had always been told that clay should really be my best surface, but it took me a long time to gain a little bit of confidence.”

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