Djoker, Murray renew rivalry in blockbuster
5 Sept 2014 5:13 AM IST
Friends and rivals since they were 11, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray renew acquaintances in a blockbuster quarterfinal match at the US Open. Sixteen years after they first met in a junior competition in France, the pair are set to lock horns for the 21st time as professionals, their sixth Grand Slam clash but at the earliest stage of the lot.
World number one Novak Djokovic will enter the match as the favourite, having reached the last eight without dropping a set, while Murray looked back on form in beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to make the quarterfinal. Murray beat Djokovic in the 2012 US Open final and in the 2013 Wimbledon final and despite his form, the Serb is well aware of how tough a match he faces. ‘I think Andy also performs his best in the Grand Slams. In the big matches, as the tournament progresses, he’s still fit. He still plays very high quality tennis. That’s what I expect him to do,’ said Djokovic, who is 12-8 lifetime versus Murray.
‘You can’t just have the same tactics every single time you play him. There needs to be some adjustments depending on the surface and the conditions. We’ll see what those are in the quarterfinal,’ said Murray.
World number one Novak Djokovic will enter the match as the favourite, having reached the last eight without dropping a set, while Murray looked back on form in beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to make the quarterfinal. Murray beat Djokovic in the 2012 US Open final and in the 2013 Wimbledon final and despite his form, the Serb is well aware of how tough a match he faces. ‘I think Andy also performs his best in the Grand Slams. In the big matches, as the tournament progresses, he’s still fit. He still plays very high quality tennis. That’s what I expect him to do,’ said Djokovic, who is 12-8 lifetime versus Murray.
‘You can’t just have the same tactics every single time you play him. There needs to be some adjustments depending on the surface and the conditions. We’ll see what those are in the quarterfinal,’ said Murray.
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