Tuesday 27 May 2014 09:38, UK
World No 53 Andrey Golubev says he is confident of causing a massive upset by beating Andy Murray in the first round of the French Open.
Russian-born Golubev, who competes for Kazakhstan, will meet Murray on Tuesday for the third time in their respective careers, with Murray having comfortably beaten him twice in 2008 and 2010.
Golubev has never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam but claims buoyancy from his recent victory over Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka in the Davis Cup
We've never met on clay. It's a good challenge for me. When we go on court it’s 50-50 and he has to show he is better than me. Of course I will try my best.
"It gives me big confidence,” he said. "When you play top guys you have to be almost perfect with your tactics and your game style and believe in yourself.
"I have to play my tennis. Every match you can be different and I will attack for sure. I'm not going to stay five metres behind the baseline just waiting for his mistakes. We will see if I can do this well.”
Coachless Murray missed Roland Garros last year because of a back injury, which has resulted in a seventh seeding for the Paris tournament, and his last match was a defeat to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters.
Golubev said: "I watched his match against Nadal and it was a good match, I enjoyed it. I see him playing better now after his back surgery but I understand it's difficult to get back to the top level.
“Our previous matches were easy for him but it was a long time ago and he was playing great in that time. Every match is different, even if you played each other only one month ago.
"We've never met on clay. It's a good challenge for me. When we go on court it’s 50-50 and he has to show he is better than me. Of course I will try my best."
