David Ferrer is anticipating a difficult test when he faces Andy Murray in their French Open quarter-final later today.
Fourth seed Murray goes into the match as the underdog, having lost his three previous clay-court meetings with the Spaniard, who is seeded sixth.
However, Ferrer rates Murray very highly and claims that the Scot could have been ranked number one in the world.
He said: "Murray is a player who has a high level of tennis. It's been the case for a number of years.
"I think he could have been number one because he analyses matches really well. He reads the opponent's game very well.
"He's a player whose first serve is outstanding. He's very gifted and talented. He moves well to the net, his volleys are really excellent. He's a very tough player to play against."
The winner of the match is likely to face tournament favourite Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.
Robert Summerscales
