Murray 'needs rest' after French defeat

Andy Murray will prioritise rest and recovery ahead of Wimbledon following a gruelling clay-court season that ended in defeat in the French Open final.

“I have never had a clay-court season like that one, never won that many matches, I have never been in a final here before,” he said after Sunday’s loss to Novak Djokovic in Paris.

“I need to rest and allow my body to recover.”

Murray’s next tournament is the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club.

The British number one has appeared at the Wimbledon warm-up in London for the past eight years and will be the main draw again when it starts on 13 June.

Djokovic, who has won the Wimbledon title for the past two years, usually opts to play in lower-profile exhibition events as part of a more gentle transition between clay and grass.

An extra week between the end of the French Open and the start of Wimbledon was introduced for the first time in 2015.

Murray’s run at the French Open followed appearances in the finals of the Italian and Madrid Opens and making the last four of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Murray spent more than 20 hours on court during his campaign at Roland Garros, after coming through five-set meetings in the first two rounds.

“I played in such difficult conditions over the past couple of weeks, heavy slow, physical matches. I need to recover a bit before getting back on the grass and training again,” Murray added.

Service with a grimace

Murray, 29, says his inconsistent serving was the most apparent weak point in his 24th defeat in 34 career meetings with Djokovic.

The Scot landed with 61% of his first serves in winning the first set, but that success rate fell to 46% over the following three sets.

“I didn’t serve particularly well after the first set, which can be a factor against him as one of the best returners,” Murray explained.

“If you don’t serve well it is going to make things tough.”

Murray made 64% of his first serves in his three-set win over Djokovic at the 2013 Wimbledon final.

Djokovic turns sights to calendar slam

After becoming the eighth man to win all four of the Grand Slam events and only the third to hold them all simultaneously, Djokovic admitted he was aiming for a new landmark.

If the Serb successfully defends his Wimbledon and US Open titles later this year he would become the first man since Australian great Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a Grand Slam clean sweep in a single calendar year.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I think everything is achievable in life,” he said.

Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten identified just one weakness in the world number one’s game – his celebration.

Djokovic traced a heart in the Roland Garros clay after his win, just as Kuerten did after beating Alex Corretja in 2001.

“He asked me for permission. He said ‘if I win can I do it?’. I said, ‘of course’,” the Brazilian recalled.

“But mine was a little bit better, I would tell him ‘you need to improve a lot’.”

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