Madrid, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are set for a showdown at the Madrid Open on Thursday, with the winner securing a spot in the quarterfinals and taking another step toward recovery.
Djokovic and Murray are far apart in the rankings, but both have been going through similar times, trying to regain their best form after lackluster starts to the season.
The top-ranked Djokovic is playing in only his fourth tournament after not being allowed to participate in the Australian Open because of his vaccination status. The 78th-ranked Murray, trying to make a run back to the top, is looking to win three matches in a row for the first time since January.
They haven’t faced each other since Djokovic won at the Doha final of 2017, reports AP.
Djokovic defeated Murray in three sets in the Madrid final in 2016. The Serb has 25 wins and 11 losses against the Briton.
Murray, who was last ranked No. 1 in 2017, had hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019 and dropped to No. 839. He only returned to the top 100 in February.
Source: Bahrain News Agency