ANDY’S CLAY SHOOT BANG ON TARGET

ANDY MURRAY won his first claycourt match of the season last night after the French Open claimed he will only request a singles wild card if he feels he will be competitive in Paris.

Murray (above) and Liam Broady beat Aussie duo Max Purcell and Luke Saville 5-7 7-6 10-6 in the men’s doubles at the Rome Masters. Murray proved his fitness in his first competitive match since March 3 due to Covid-19 and a groin strain. His post-match celebration showed the fire is still there.

The world No.123, who turns 34 on Saturday, travelled to Rome to get top singles practice before playing in either Geneva or Lyon next week. But this doubles win will help his case for a Paris invite.

The 2016 finalist was given a wild card to the French Open last September but lost in straight sets in the first round to Stan Wawrinka. It caused former champion Mats Wilander to ask: “Does he have a right to be out there taking wild cards from the young players?”

Murray has entered the qualifying for Paris and French Open tournament director Guy Forget said: “Andy is a great player, he sure deserves a wild card. We will speak to him and his entourage again and then we will make a decision next week.

“He is not going to pretend to play tournaments if he feels he cannot compete with the best guys.

Romania’s Simona Halep is a doubt for the French Open with a calf injury. Halep was 6-1 3-3 when she had to stop against Germany’s Angelique Kerber. Serena Williams lost her 1,000th career match 7-6 7-5 to Argentinian Nadia Podoroska and Japan’s Naomi Osaka fell to world No.31 Jessica Pegula of the USA 7-6 6-2.