The British tennis legend’s playing style is better suited to grass courts than the clay surface and he suffered another early exit on the red dirt on Wednesday.
Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion, lost 6-3 6-0 to Stan Wawrinka in his first match at an ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux.
The result follows Murray’s first-round exit from the Italian Open last week, as he was beaten by Fabio Fognini in Rome.
Despite winning an ATP Challenger event in France, he also endured opening exits in Madrid and Monte-Carlo in what has been a tough spell on clay this year.
Murray, 36, who plays with a metal hip, has now decided to skip the second Grand Slam of the year in Paris and will not feature at Roland-Garros, which starts on May 28.
Speaking after his defeat to Wawrinka in Bordeaux, Murray strongly hinted that he would not play the French Open and turn his attentions to the grass court season.
‘It’s not so much about [physical worries],’ Murray said after his straight-sets loss.
‘I trust that my body will be OK after what I did at the beginning of the year. I played back-to-back five-hour matches and did well physically in those matches.
‘It’s just what the right thing is to prioritise at this stage in my career. I trust my body now but I’m aware that my best chance of having a deep run is more likely to happen at Wimbledon.’
Speaking in February, Murray said that he was hopeful of performing well at Wimbledon in 2023 as less players are suited to the surface.
‘My feeling on Wimbledon is that less players play well on grass,’ Murray told The Times.
‘More of the guys are comfortable on the hard courts and that probably increases my chances.’
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