The world number four considers the Olympic tennis tournament, which this summer will be held at SW19, to be tennis' fifth Grand Slam and he is relishing the opportunity of competing at London 2012.

Murray was a first-round loser in the men's singles competition at the Beijing Olympics but the experience in 2008 left a lasting impression on him.

"This summer coming up is going to be huge. Wimbledon and the Olympics would be two of my major goals," Murray said.

Important

"The Olympics is different. The feeling you have on the court is completely different, you feel like you are playing for other people, for your country.

"A lot of times when you are on the tour you are playing for yourself and the guys you work with.

"When I played in Beijing, I didn't play well but it was one of the best experiences I have had as an athlete, being around all the top athletes in the world.

"Going back to the village each night, you see a chart on the wall of all the medals we have won. It would be nice to be part of that too.

"Tennis at the Olympics has become a big deal. Everybody plays it now whereas 10-15 years ago people were skipping the Olympics.

"Everybody is playing now, a bit like the Slams. No one skips the Australian Open anymore."

Asked whether he considers it to be the fifth Grand Slam, Murray added: "I think so. I have only played in it once and it was very important to me.

"I was very nervous before I played, which tells you something of the significance of the competition. It was very important for me.

"If guys are skipping the Olympics it doesn't look good for tennis but everybody sees it is a big deal.

"You see the emotion of the guys. Novak Djokovic won a bronze medal at the last Olympics and it was a huge deal for him.

"Usually you would be disappointed losing a semi-final but if you come away from the Olympics with a bronze medal it is celebrated."

Clay focus

Murray now switches to the clay-court season and working with coach Ivan Lendl, a three-time French Open champion, to prepare for his assault on the Roland Garros title.

"He is confident in the way my game matches up against the other guys on the surface," said Murray, who reached the semi-finals last year.

"My plan is to play Monte Carlo and Barcelona. He will be there for both tournaments and then I will stay in Barcelona five days and train there.

"By then he will have watched me play on clay for a couple of tournaments and we'll work on things he has seen in my game that can improve on clay before the French Open.

"It is about making sure I am in good shape, getting the tactics right and being very patient because it is a tough surface to play on, especially the way the guys move nowadays."