Madrid Open 2022 - 'I've hardly played on it!' - Andy Murray delighted after first clay win in two years

Andy Murray said he was feeling 'comfortable on clay' after grabbing his first win on the surface in two years. Murray overcame two-time French Open finalist Dominic Thiem in the first round of the Madrid Open, winning 6-3 6-4.

Ad/> Thiem too, has endured a period away from the sport due to a wrist injury and while he is usually one of the fiercest competitors on clay, he was far below his usual standards. ATP MadridMurray roars past Thiem to reach last 32 in Madrid2 HOURS AGO But Murray said he was happy with his performance after such a long time estranged from clay.

«I've hardly played on it for the last five years, but I did four weeks of training on it before coming here,» he said. «I felt more comfortable than I usually do at the beginning of a clay court season.

»I played well but I thought Thiem played well at times but he obviously just started playing as well, so making a few more mistakes than usual, but I was happy with how I played and I moved particularly well which is something I've been working on for the past four weeks, and it changes the way I play the game." Thiem, a two-time finalist in Madrid, cut a frustrated figure as he struggled to reach low balls and thrashed a litany of unforced errors at the net. He has been working on rehabilitating his wrist after injury and adapting his forehand, and Murray — who has suffered from wrist injuries himself — believed it will take time for the world number three to get his confidence back and backed Thiem to bounce back.