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Djokovic–Murray rivalry
Tennis rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Djokovic–Murray rivalry was a tennis rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. They met 36 times, and Djokovic leads 25–11 overall and 11–8 in finals.[1] Ten of their encounters were played in majors, with Djokovic leading 8–2. Djokovic and Murray are one of two male pairs to have contested the finals of each of the four majors (Djokovic–Nadal is the other pair).
Djokovic leads on hard courts 20–8 and 5–1 on clay, while Murray won their two matches played on grass. The rivalry began highly competitive and remained so for many years. However, after Murray won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships over Djokovic in the final, Djokovic took a commanding lead, winning 14 of their last 17 encounters.
The two are almost the same age, Murray being a week older than Djokovic. They went to training camp together, and as juniors, Murray won the first match they played together. In 2006, both aged 19, Djokovic and Murray partnered in doubles at the Australian Open, losing in the first round. The rivalry became an important part of both men's careers. Between May and August 2013 and between May 2016 and June 2017, they were the world No. 1 and 2 in ATP rankings; Djokovic held the top spot throughout the entire first period and the second period until November 2016, when Murray claimed it. They were the 2015 and 2016 year-end top two players in the world. Their last meeting came in January 2017 at the Qatar Open (even though both players remained active through 2024), mainly due to Murray's subsequent string of injuries and decline from the peak of the sport.
Djokovic and Murray met each other a record four times in the final of the Australian Open, but their most notable encounter there was in the 2012 semifinals. Other notable matches contested include the 2011 Italian Open semifinals, 2012 US Open final, 2012 Shanghai Masters final, 2015 French Open semifinals and 2017 Qatar Open final.