WITH a first clay-court title in the bag, not to mention the lederhosen he won to go with the trophy and the BMW car in Munich on Monday, Andy Murray begins his quest for another today in the rather warmer conditions of Madrid.
A successful but gruelling week in Germany that ran into an extra day because of rain meant Murray only got a first taste of the courts at this year's Mutua Madrid Open yesterday, less than 24 hours before his second-round match.
If he can get through today's clash with Philipp Kohlschreiber - the man he beat to win in Munich - then Murray might fancy his chances of another good run, having been drawn in the other half to Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic sitting this one out.
There are plenty of obstacles in his path - Gael Monfils, David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori to mention just three - but the confidence of a first clay-court title is sure to lift his aching body.
Monday's win over Kohlschreiber, who yesterday beat Alejandro Falla 6-1, 6-4 to set up the rematch, deserves a bit of context.
Not only was it Murray's first title on the surface - in his first final - but he is also the first British man to win on clay since Buster Mottram in Mallorca in 1976.
As the man who ended a 76-year wait for a Wimbledon men's singles champion when he lifted the title in 2013, Murray knows a bit about setting firsts.
But it's the psychological effect that such a win may have that could prove crucial this week, next week in Rome and then, most importantly, at the French Open later this month.
"It was a goal I set with my team that I wanted to win a clay-court title," said world No. 3 Murray, who now sits almost 1,000 points ahead of the next man, Nadal.
"It was a challenging week physically because of playing three matches in a day on Saturday but mentally, I thought overall I handled everything, all the breaks and the rain, well."
It was also a winning start for Jonas Bjorkman, who is in Madrid now but who will leave Amelie Mauresmo to take the reins as the week progresses.
"Obviously it's nice to start (the relationship) in a positive way," Murray said. "He's fitted in very well with the team.
"Hopefully we can have a couple of good days in Madrid - he's not going to do the whole tournament, just the first few days before Amelie arrives, but it was good.
"It's nice to win events at any level. I hope I can have a good run at one of the next two events, either here or Rome, and get myself ready for the French."
One player who won't be in Paris, though, is Laura Robson, whose comeback from wrist surgery has been delayed yet again.
The former British No 1, who has not played for almost 16 months, had hoped to return at the French Open, or even the week before, but is now likely to wait until the grass-court season begins in early June.
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