Kohlschreiber offers biggest test for Murray

The Wimbledon champion has been relatively untroubled in his opening two matches on his return to Roland Garros, although he did lose a set to Andrey Golubev in round one.

Against Australian Marinko Matosevic, Murray was impressive, dropping just seven games in three sets, but Kohlschreiber represents a significant step up.

The German is the 28th seed and on a six-match winning run after clinching the title in Dusseldorf last week.

Of Kohlschreiber’s five ATP Tour singles titles, three have come on clay, and he has made three more finals on the surface.

That is a significantly better record than Murray, who is still looking for his first clay-court final, although he does not play in the smaller events where Kohlschreiber has had success.

The Scot said: “It’s a very tough match for me. I played him once before on clay and I think I got three games or something.

“He obviously won the tournament last week. He’s not dropped a set here, I don’t think. So, yeah, he will be very tough, he’s a very good player.”

That previous meeting came in Monte Carlo four years ago when Kohlschreiber won 6-2 6-1 in little more than an hour and Murray was jeered off court.

Murray said: “I remember not playing particularly well. I was very disappointed after the match.”

Kohlschreiber feels a lot will depend on which Murray turns up – the one who pushed Rafael Nadal all the way in Rome or the one who folded so meekly to Santiago Giraldo a week earlier in Madrid.

“If the big guys are confident and they win many matches, they’re going to be tough to beat,” he said. “Obviously I’m also on a very nice run at the moment, so it’s the best chance at the moment to play against the big guys.

“For sure he’s the favourite in this match, but I’m going to try everything and fight from the first to last point. I’m going to enjoy this match.

“If he’s fit and mentally strong, he’s unbelievably tough to play. He’s a very solid player. He’s a big fighter.

“You’re going to work very hard for the points.”