Murray: Injury did not lead to my defeat

Andy Murray dismissed fears he was suffering an injury today after once again failing to put down a marker ahead of the French Open.

The British No1 appeared to be suffering from a groin problem as he lost 6-2, 7-5 to Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Rome Masters.

Murray received treatment while trailing 4-1 in the first set and struggled with his mobility throughout but he said: "Though I wasn't moving well it had nothing to do with any injury. My legs were just feeling heavy."

The Scot showed far more spark at the start of the second set and broke Wawrinka to lead 2-0. He clung on to the advantage but at 4-3 up Murray's fightback faded and, despite saving four match points, he looked a sorry figure after producing 37 unforced errors.

Murray's clay-court season has not gone well and he will rue the chance to get more match practice before heading to Roland Garros. All he has left is next week's Masters event in Hamburg, where last year he damaged his wrist and was forced to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon.

As the Scot's troubles increased, clay-court king Rafael Nadal was also beaten by fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-1.