Lendl expect Murray to find clay form

Ivan Lendl has told Andy Murray he will find his best form on clay as long as he continues to put in long hours on the practice courts.

The Scot was embarrassed by Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters last week. The 6-1 6-2 loss was down in no small part to an unforced error count of 24.

The match was only Murray's second of the clay-court season and reminded him just how much he needs to improve to compete with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

His coach refuses to panic, he believes the US Open champion is still making the transition from hard courts to clay and will benefit from more time on court.

"I am just looking for volume. I think Andy understands that as well. He needs to play sets, he needs to spend time on clay," Lendl told the Guardian.

Murray freely admitted he struggles to get going on clay ahead of his first tournament of the season on the surface.

He stayed in Monaco after his dismal defeat to get a feel for the slow, slippery courts. Lendl has revealed Murray has been training with world number six Tomas Berdych to improve his strokeplay and balance.

The Czech has noted an improvement in his game. "It was different ball coming back from Berdych than from Dani (Vallverdu, Murray's hitting partner) and me, but he looks more comfortable moving around - and that means he will hit better shots as well," Lendl added.

"If you feel like you're not moving well, you have to go for shots you wouldn't go for normally, so you can be more patient."

Murray will be hoping his hard work pays off when he continues his clay-court season at the Madrid Open at the start of May.

Don’t forget to head over to bet365 for all the latest tennis betting news odds, tips, advice and expert opinion, as well as their frequently updated promotions, including their latest in-play bet offer.