Murray to end Grand Slam drought at French Open?

"Andy Murray at the 2013 US Open" (CC BY 2.0) by  Boss Tweed 

Almost three years have passed since Andy Murray triumphed at Wimbledon to clinch his second Grand Slam.

The Scot was expected to kick on from the success, having finally ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men's champion at the All England Club.

However, he has been thwarted in his attempts to add further majors to his collection by the presence of Novak Djokovic.

The Serb has been a thorn in the side of Murray throughout his career, denying him from securing multiple titles, including four defeats in the final of the Australian Open.

Murray faces an important time in his career after re-establishing himself ahead of Roger Federer to become world number two towards the end of 2015.

The 28-year-old came close to securing his third major title in January when he reached the final of the Australian Open but he lost in straight sets to the Serb.

Murray managed to overcome his latest defeat to the world number one by guiding Great Britain to victory over Japan in the Davis Cup, which included beating Kei Nishikori in a dramatic five-set contest.

Although the Scot enjoyed success in securing a quarter-final berth of Team GB, he has struggled in his past few events on the ATP Tour, failing to reach the latter stages of tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.

He exited the competitions at the round-of-32 stage with defeats to Federico Delbonis and Grigor Dimitrov as the 28-year-old struggled to find his rhythm on the court.

"Andy Murray" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by  Carine06 

Murray now faces a challenge to find his best form on clay, his least favourite surface, ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season.

The Scot has not appeared at the Monte Carlo Masters for the past two years, although he may be tempted to return to the tournament to find his rhythm on clay, with his appearance at Roland Garros on the horizon.

He has shown a gradual improvement on the surface over the course of his career and will most certainly be eager to defend his crown at the Madrid Masters in early May following his comfortable win over Rafael Nadal last year.

The French Open is the only Grand Slam where Murray has failed to progress to a final, having lost to Nadal twice and Djokovic once in his three trips to the semis.

However, he battled the Serb in a tense five-set match last year, and a repeat of their contest would certainly have people scrambling for Roland Garros tickets.

Murray will be desperate to end his three-year wait for another Grand Slam title, and a surprise victory in Paris could act as a springboard towards another crown at Wimbledon.

The Scot turns 29 in 2016 and will be aware of the difficulties that Federer has had in maintaining his high level of success into his thirties, meaning that time is running out for him to enhance his legacy.

A winning display at the French Open could be the catalyst Murray needs to re-ignite his Grand Slam form and raise his profile as one of the all-time greats of the game.