The ATP tour’s top clay specialists are participating in the week’s Barcelona Open as they warm up for the next instalment in the packed pre-French Open clay court programme.

Andy Murray endured a less than ideal build-up to the forthcoming 2008 Rome Masters tennis tournament, after making an early exit from the 2008 Barcelona Open at the hands of Croatian Mario Ancic.

It was more than manner Murray’s exit than the fact that his departure from the tournament came before the quarterfinals that will have disappointed his legion of fans.

Murray was unable to dominate his Croatian opponent during any stage of the game, and failed to pick up a single set as he bowed out of the 2008 Barcelona Open in a 6-4, 6-4 defeat.

Speaking to BBC Sport Murray said: “I was flat. I was going to be here practising anyway, so I had hoped to get a few matches. But my priority is to train for Rome and Hamburg. I wanted to continue from last week, but it is not the be-all and end-all.”

Murray’s words won’t provide much consolation for British tennis fans, who are looking to the Scottish youngster to make inroads into the biggest ATP tournaments this year. 

After losing to Rafael Nadal at the final of the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, Roger Federer is plotting the downfall of his clay court nemesis in Rome later this week.

Federer has lost seven of his last eight clay court encounters with Nadal, and will need to reverse this trend sooner rather than later if he is to fulfil his dream of winning a career grand slam.

Like so many great players before him, Federer has swept aside all that have stood before him on lawn and hard court, only to have his aspirations to genuine world dominance thwarted by a clay court specialist.

Although Federer lost 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, he will have been encouraged by the fact that his opponent was made to fight all the way to claim his third consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title.

“I pushed Rafa and I feel I can beat him if I play the right way. I didn’t have that feeling last year,” Federer told the associated press.

Statistics predict that Federer is unlikely to prevail against Nadal at the 2008 Rome Masters. The world number one has only beaten Nadal six times in fifteen career meetings on all surfaces.