Andy Murray is unsure about his participation in the upcoming French Open after he went out in the first round of the Italian Open on Wednesday.
The three-time Grand Slam champion lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 Fabio Fognini. Murray smashed 27 winners, which was 20 fewer than his opponent, whereas his serve was also broken five times during the contest.
This was the third consecutive first round defeat, after Monte Carlo and Madrid, for Murray at the ATP Masters event.
“It was a pretty patchy match,” Murray said. “There was some good stuff in there but also some pretty average stuff. He played very well in the third set. My level was OK in the third, but he played really well in the third.”
Murray had jumped to 42nd place in the rankings, prior to his latest defeat, this week, which is his highest position since undergoing hip resurfacing surgery
Murray has only featured at the French Open once in the last five years, which was in 2019. Last season, he skipped the event in order to maximize his preparation for the events on the grass court.
Murray reached the final of the French Open in 2016, which is his best performance at the major, but was overpowered by Novak Djokovic.
“I’d still like to play but we did agree that we’d talk and make a decision as a team after Rome,” he said.
“That is what I wanted, to see how my game felt, how I was playing and physically how I was doing in some of the longer matches before making a definitive call on it. We’ll have those discussions in the next few days.”
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka will lock horns with 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last 64, after the three-time Grand Slam winner beat Ilya Ivashka 6-4, 6-2.
"I was ready for it. I am playing well. It was a good first match and I am really happy to get through again," said Wawrinka, who was runner-up to Djokovic in Rome in 2008.
The former world number three now down at 84 in the rankings added: "I have been working hard to get to this level. This year I am playing much better, but I need to win more matches."