Andy Murray: I'm taking each round as it comes at French Open, but I'm confident about my tennis right now

The world number two was due to face Richard Gasquet in the Roland Garros quarter-finals today, but heavy rain means the match could be delayed.

Murray is yet to reach the final of the tournament in Paris, having been halted at the semi-final stage for the last two years.

But he appears confident after an encouraging clay court season that culminated with an Italian Open final win over Novak Djokovic.

Read more: Andy Murray ‘pumped for tough atmosphere’ against French Open favourite Richard Gasquet

What has been key to your preparation for the French Open this year?

"I’m now training on the clay a lot earlier, previously I might have spent a week or so resting at home before going to play on clay, however I’m now literally hitting on clay as soon as I’m finished on the US hard courts.

"Last year I decided to train in Barcelona for almost two weeks before my first clay court tournament, and I came into the clay court Masters tournaments playing some of the best tennis I’ve ever played.

"It takes me a good few days to get used to the surface so sacrificing some holiday and training on the clay earlier has proven to be extremely valuable in my preparation."

Rafa Nadal is confident that you could win the French Open title this year – do you share his confidence?

"I never like to assume that I’m going to win any tournaments, of course it’s great to go into tournaments with confidence but the reality is that Grand Slams are extremely difficult to win.

"The matches are longer and the draws are larger, so you have to be playing right at the very top of your game to go deep into a slam. I don’t like to focus too much on the title, I’ll just take each round as it comes and make sure I have prepared myself as best I can, hopefully then, the rest will take care of itself."

Can you describe your mindset going into the French Open?

"I’m feeling good just now. I’ve had a very successful run up to the beginning of this tournament, after making semi finals in Monte Carlo, the final of Madrid and then winning in Rome.

"It’s pretty easy for me to feel confident in my tennis at the moment, but I wont take anything for granted though, I’ll just be focusing on one match at a time and will be making sure my preparation is on point to make sure I’m in the best possible shape to play well in Paris over the next few weeks."

You recently announced your search for a new coach. Can you tell us a bit about what you will be looking for exactly?

"It’s important to find someone that understands exactly what you want from the coach/player relationship and it’s also important to me that they’re a good listener and are committed to helping me becoming the best I can be.

"I feel like I’m close to that right now and I’m coming up to a very important stage in my career, so right now I feel like I just need someone with the wisdom to guide me on some of the finer tweaks I want to make."

Read more: Jamie Delgado keen to keep his place as Andy Murray's coach after French Open

Do you change your approach to training in an Olympic year?

"No, obviously the calendar changes a little bit because of the extra summer tournament, but my training will always stay relatively the same. Every year we make minor tweaks to make sure the process feels fresh, but generally it’s important to me that my training and preparation for tournaments remains relatively unchanged.

"Regardless of whether it’s an Olympic year or not, I will still continue to work as hard as I can in everything I do, on and off the court." 

Are you looking forward to competing again as part of Team GB in Rio?

"It’s always a special feeling competing for your country, the atmosphere amongst your team mates is really motivating and I love being a part of that. This will be my third Olympics, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Rio has to offer.

"Each Olympics I have played has been totally different and obviously London 2012 went down as one of the greatest in history which was made even more significant when I won the gold, so Rio has a lot to live up to, but I’m sure they will put on a great show."

Standard Life’s partnership with Tennis World Number 2 Andy Murray tells the story of advancing ambition and commitment to excellence as part of the ‘Master Your Dreams’ campaign. Visit withAndy.com to view more.