Tormented for so long, Marinko Matosevic will leave Roland Garros a free man.

Even a heavy French Open defeat by Andy Murray on Thursday failed to dampen the Australian’s new-found optimism after finally breaking his grand slam duck in the first round.

And Matosevic can’t wait to head to Wimbledon next month without the worst grand slam record in tennis hanging over his head.

“I just feel free to play now,” Matosevic said.

“I don’t have to think about that anymore.

“It’s done with. Thank god.”

Matosevic beat German Dustin Brown in round one to record his maiden win in 13 attempts at the top level.

In his first appearance in the second round of a major, he was comfortably dispatched 6-3 6-1 6-3 by Murray.

However the lop-sided result didn’t reflect Matosevic’s feeling on court.

“I felt like it was closer than the scoreline,” the world No.66 said.

“I felt really free out there. Everything came easier.

“Even though he won pretty comfortable against me, I feel much better on the court now.”

Difficult draws played a part in Matosevic’s 0-12 run and he could have run into far easier second-round opponents than the Wimbledon champion, who is getting back to his best following an injury layoff.

Matosevic knows a seeding will make life much easier in future grand slams and he’s confident he can crack the top 32 in the rankings sooner rather than later.

“I feel like I can, the Australian greats feel like I can and most importantly my team believes I can,” the 28-year-old said.

“I think I can do it. I think it’s going to come in the next year.”