Monte Carlo  - Andy Murray kick-starts his clay season at the weekend fresh off his third trophy of 2009 at Miami as he plays the Monte Carlo Masters.

"I want to do better than I did last year and try to reach the quarter-finals of one of the big tournaments," said the world number 4.

The Scot is planning a full schedule on the dirt, where he never got past a third round in 2008. He is scheduled for Monte Carlo starting Sunday, Rome and Madrid prior to Paris.

"There's not as much pressure playing in Monte Carlo as there was before, because it doesn't have to go towards your ranking," he said of the now-optional Masters 1000 event which is missing Roger Federer and Andy Roddick from the entry among the ATP Top 10.

"I'll just try and work on my game like I have done on all the other courts. I have found clay tough in the last few years, but my game definitely got better last year."

Murray will be meeting up with his temporary clay guru Alex Corretja starting in the principality as the pair team for the second spring season. "On the hard courts, my game is up there with the top guys, on grass it definitely got better last year," said Murray.

"But on clay, it hasn't been the same as them, and that's where they have picked up a lot of ranking points. If you got rid of the clay-court season's points, I think I would be very close to Roger, and not too far behind Rafa. I need to improve my results on clay." (dpa)