The clay-court conundrum continues for Andy Murray.
However, the former world No. 1 isn't planning a Roland Garros retreat.
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Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori bounced Murray out the Mutua Madrid Open 6-2, 7-6(7) today.
The two-time Olympic gold-medal champion possesses soft hands, but his reaction after bricking this point-blank volley sums up a frustrating day for Murray.
It was Murray's third straight opening-round exit in four tournament since his run to the Doha final in February.
Murray's last clay-court victory came last May when he stopped Denis Shapovalov en route to the Madrid round of 16.
Despite his recent clay-court slide, Murray wants to play next Roland Garros next month for a simple reason: It could be his final French Open.
"Look, I would like to play, you know, just purely because, yeah, I don't know if I'll get another opportunity to play again," Murray told the media in Madrid. "Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give it a go."
The dilemma the 35-year-old Murray faces is realizing his Roland Garros hopes without banging up his body in advance of Wimbledon, where he believes he can do damage.
"I also have ambitions of, you know, competing for Wimbledon titles and that sort of stuff, and I know that sitting here today that probably doesn't sound realistic, but I do believe that that's a possibility," Murray told the media in Madrid. "I obviously want to do the right thing there.
"But, you know, the experiences I have had when I have won Wimbledon has been in 2013 when I didn't play the French Open and won and 2016 I had my best French Open and won Wimbledon. It didn't have an impact necessarily.
"So I don't know. It's impossible to say what the right thing to do is, but obviously it's a Grand Slam. I would like the opportunity to play."
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