Andy Murray is testing new rackets with different weights and specifications ahead of his much-anticipated return to clay-court action.
The former World No. 1 ruptured ankle ligaments in the closing stages of his third-round defeat to Tomas Machac at the Miami Open. Murray miraculously avoided surgery after seeing an ankle specialist and revealed that he would miss the start of the European clay swing.
Having withdrawn from high-profile tournaments like Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome, he was classified as a doubt for the French Open. But recent developments suggested Murray was on track to play the second Grand Slam of the season, potentially for one last time.
Murray shared an update on his training session. He was practicing on clay and has since elected to play at the Bordeaux Challenger next week. He has also accepted a wild card at the ATP 250 event in Geneva, which will begin on May 19th.
In an interview with Tennis365, tennis commentator Andrew Castle revealed that Murray is experimenting with different rackets and strings in an effort to improve himself.
"From what I hear he is practising with a different racket, he is still working with the different weights of the racket and different strings. He’s still trying to get 100 per-cent out of everything."
"If he does call it quits this year, you just have to reflect on the most unbelievable career and hope that we all capitalise on it, which we probably won’t."
Murray's appearance in Bordeaux will mark a full year since he competed on clay. Incidentally, it was in the same Challenger event when he lost handily to Stan Wawrinka 12 months ago before deicing not to play at Roland Garros.
However, the situation is a lot different this year, with Murray now resigned that this will be his final season, which will likely end at the Olympics. So, he is exploring the possibility of playing at the French Open in singles and doubles, but no decision has been made thus far.