Andy Murray looks to long term, coach Amelie Mauresmo to 'adventure'

Murray won 6-3, 6-4 in the second round in Paris today

Andy Murray celebrates his win over Julien Benneteau (GETTY IMAGES)

Qualification for next month’s World Tour Finals and the battle for the year-end world No 1 ranking have been the biggest talking points at the Paris Masters, but Andy Murray and his coach have longer-term goals in mind.

The world No 8 said after his opening 6-3, 6-4 victory here over Julien Benneteau today that he was focusing on improving his ranking in time for next summer’s major tournaments, while Amélie Mauresmo talked about the pressure that would build when her charge goes into the Australian Open in January.

“My goal is to try to win this tournament,” Murray said after earning a third-round meeting with Grigor Dimitrov. “I still have a chance of moving up the rankings this year. Whatever happens this week has an effect on the middle of next year.

“If I can do well at the beginning of next year I can move my ranking up and that helps with all sorts of things. I obviously want to try to make a big push at the beginning of next year and, hopefully, get back to the top of the rankings.”

Mauresmo said that it was too early in her relationship with Murray to feel any great pressure, but that the situation could soon change. “Perhaps when we arrive at the Australian Open there will be more pressure,” she told L’Equipe, the French daily sports newspaper. “There will certainly be greater expectations at the Grand Slams next year. At the moment he’s on an upward curve. And when that’s the case the pressure is always less.”

The Frenchwoman, who described her role as “being a manager, without being a dictator”, added: “If we have a great adventure together, that’s super. If for whatever reason he wants to change or I want to stop, no problem. That’s very healthy.”

Murray might have felt weary after playing his 21st match in 35 days, but there were no signs of tiredness as he needed just 71 minutes to take his record against Benneteau to five wins out of five.

The Frenchman handed Murray the perfect start when he was broken in his first service game after three successive double-faults. Murray served out for the first set and took command of the second with two early breaks.

Dimitrov, Murray’s next opponent, needs to reach the semi-finals here to stand any chance of qualifying for the World Tour Finals. The Bulgarian, who crushed Pablo Cuevas 6-0, 6-3, has beaten Murray in their last two meetings, in the Acapulco semi-finals in February and in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this summer.

Murray insisted that revenge did not enter his thinking. “I try not to go into matches like that,” the Scot said. “I haven’t in the past found that to be beneficial, to look at it like that. It’s just another match against another player, a tough player. I’m match-tight. I feel like I’m playing better tennis than I was earlier in the year. Hopefully, tomorrow will be another good one.”

The only man who surpasses Murray’s record of 57 tour-level victories this year is Roger Federer, who recorded his 67th when he beat Jérémy Chardy 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. Federer, who saved four set points in the opening set, can overtake Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings with good runs here and at the World Tour Finals, which start in London in 10 days’ time.

Milos Raonic and David Ferrer kept alive their chances of playing at the O2 Arena but only after being taken to deciding sets by lower-ranked opponents. Raonic beat Jack Sock 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, while Ferrer won 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 against the in-form David Goffin, who has won 44 of 48 matches he has played since Wimbledon.