MURRAY AIMING TO BE A MASTER IN PARIS AT LAST

ANDY MURRAY has thrown down the gauntlet to his rivals for the French Open title, saying: “I’m not here to just make the final.”

The classic in Paris is the only one of the four grand slams where Murray (above) has yet to progress from the last four.

But having regained the world No.2 ranking and beaten world No .1 Novak Djokovic to win the Rome Masters last weekend, Murray’s confidence on clay is sky high.

“It would be great,” said Murray, who kicks off his campaign tomorrow against 37-year-old Czech Radek Stepanek.

“That is what has been nice for me the last couple of years in the clay season. I have been doing stuff I’d never done before on this surface, so it was nice at this stage in my career to achieve things that I’d never done and maybe thought that I wouldn’t.

“Like the Davis Cup, for example. That was something I never, never thought we’d do and that made it more special.

“Winning in Rome – I’d had some terrible times there over the years with injuries, with my back, so to win there was amazing, one of my nicest wins, I really enjoyed that.

“This is the only slam I haven’t played the final of, so if I could do that, I would have played in the final of pretty much all the major events in tennis bar Monte Carlo, I think. It would be nice, but I’m not here to reach the final.”

Having followed up a semi-final in Monte Carlo with a final in Madrid and then a title in Rome, Murray is second favourite behind Djokovic to win in Paris, above nine-times champion Rafael Nadal.

The Scot will have his family in tow in Paris – wife Kim and daughter Sophie arrive today – something that is helping to keep him grounded amid the hype of a grand slam.

”Sophie is a lot more smiley than me, that’s for sure,” he said with a grin.