French Open 2012: Andy Murray wary of Richard Gasquet test

Andy Murray has described 17th seed Richard Gasquet as a “very tough guy to beat” ahead of their fourth-round meeting at the French Open on Monday.

The British No1 will renew rivalries with his French opponent after Murray eased to a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory over Colombian Santiago Giraldo on Saturday.

The 25-year-old has beaten Gasquet three times in Grand Slams, including a memorable comeback in their fourth-round meeting at Wimbledon in 2008.

But the pair have three victories each in ATP events and Murray admits his 20th-ranked opponent will be a serious test of his credentials as he eyes a first Major title in Paris.

“When he plays well, he’s a very tough guy to beat. He plays some unbelievable shots,” Murray told BBC Sport. “I’ll need to stay solid and try and wear him down – that’s worked when I’ve played him in the Slams before.”

“We have had some unbelievable matches, but I don’t want to be in that position again.

“He can play some unbelievable shots, he comes out swinging, hitting winners and can be difficult to play against.

“He beat me a couple of weeks ago [at the Rome Masters] so he’ll be confident and he’s played some good matches here as well. I’ve always had tough matches with him, so hopefully I’ll have another good one.”

Murray’s run at Roland Garros appeared to be coming to a premature end on Thursday when he struggled to cope with a lower back problem and trailed Jarkko Nieminen by a set and break.

But the fourth seed’s condition dramatically improved as he went on to win in four sets – and Murray insists he is feeling much better thanks to the help of his physio Andy Ireland.

“He [Ireland] has helped a lot,” he added. “We’ve done two or three treatments each day to try and make sure I get better, seen the doctor, taken all the right medication, anti-inflammatories. Those guys have made a huge, huge difference.”

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