Andy Murray still believes he can win tournaments but he knows the odds are stacked against him.

The 33-year-old is making his first appearance at the French Open for three years and will play his old sparring partner Stan Wawrinka in the first round on Sunday.

That is indicative of the uphill battle Murray faces, with his ranking of 111 meaning he not only needs wild cards to get into the big tournaments but is then at the mercy of the draw.

His metal right hip is holding up well but it is hard for Murray to get the matches in his legs that he needs to really find out where his level can be.

The coronavirus pandemic has compounded matters by not just putting a stop to tennis for several months but also prompting the tours to make changes to the ranking system so as not to penalise players who choose not to travel to tournaments.

The Scot said: "What I would love is six months of consistent practice, tournaments, resting. The thing which is hard is that, where I am ranked now, I can feel good this week and then I draw Stan in the first round. Or Djokovic.

"In Cincinnati, I beat (Alexander) Zverev, who was seeded three. You are playing the best players early in tournaments and, with the two-year ranking system, it's a lot harder to improve your ranking.

It also left Wawrinka needing knee surgery that might have ended his career, so it is no surprise that the two men have a certain affinity.

They have played each other 20 times before, including six times at grand slams, while Wawrinka was also on the other side of the net when Murray won an emotional first title following surgery in Antwerp last year.

Murray, who has won 12 of the meetings, said: "We have always got on well. We've played a bunch of times in big matches and also from pretty early on in our careers.

"We came on tour at similar times, he was maybe a year or so before me, and then the last few years both of us have had a bunch of injuries.

"I would say the last few years we have probably been closer. I message him a bit, he messages me after matches and tournaments, which wouldn't have been the case six, seven years ago.

"Also both of us going through the various injury problems around the same time, there is a mutual respect there. I'm glad he has managed to get himself back to playing top tennis after a pretty nasty knee issue. He's a great, great player and a good guy."