Tim Henman thinks that Andy Murray's recent tennis woes may be a knock-on effect from when the British and world number 1 contracted shingles, a skin condition similar to Chickenpox, in early 2017.

The former tennis player believes the illness has impacted Murray's training regimes and fitness schedule, and that's why he hasn't been performing to the best of his ability so far this calendar year.

Henman said: "Shingles isn't something to be taken lightly by anyone, let alone an elite athlete. I wouldn't be surprised if the elbow problems were related to that.

"When you can't put the hard work in it's frustrating and he hasn't got much momentum going yet, but I'm not worried from his point of view. He is too good for this to continue."

Another problem for Murray, according to Henman, is simply luck of the draw.

While the Scot has been on the road to recovery, he has had to play tough opponents at difficult times, which has also stopped his body from finding a steady routine and rhythm within which to heal.

"In Rome, he played (Italian, Fabio) Fognini in a night match and that was probably the worst draw possible. It will help if he gets a decent draw in Paris."

With the tournament's first service to take place on Monday, Murray will be regrouping with his coach Ivan Lendl, who is enduring his second stint on Murray's team, following a brief spell away from the Scot.

This will be helping Murray mentally, says Henman, but there shouldn't be too much expectation on the world number one at the moment because his well-being is what needs to be set straight, not his coaching.

With Rafa Nadal in stunning form, Murray needs to get back into the swing of things before he can seriously hope to stand a chance of winning a title, but Henman remains upbeat on that possibility.

"People will focus on Ivan coming back and that will help but the key is his health. If he's had a good week of work then it could just be a couple of matches that turns it around very quickly."