Novak Djokovic is on his quest to win his 4th Madrid Open title. He began the tournament by defeating French tennis player Gaël Monfils, 6-2, 6-3. Improving his unbeaten record to 18-0 against the Frenchman, Djokovic remains at the top of the rankings. However for Monfils, it his worst record against a single opponent without winning in the Open era.
Talking about his performance after the match, Novak Djokovic said, “I would probably rate it as the best performance of the year. I felt very good on the court.”
“(The rain) interruption probably helped me a bit more than him. I played one of the most athletic and quickest players that we have in the game, Gaël… I know I have to always be ready that another ball will always come back from his part of the court. You have to constantly try to have a controlled aggression and dictate the point.”
Planning to skip the clay court season before reversing his decision, Andy Murray achieved a brilliant victory over Denis Shapovalov. He defeated Denis, 6-1, 3-2, 6-2 to set up a match with Novak Djokovic.
"He's World No.1 and I've got a metal hip" 🤣@andy_murray #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/m3HJJwDZ2s
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 3, 2022
After the match, Andy Murray said, “He’s the world No. 1 and I’ve got a metal hip. I didn’t know I’d get opportunities to play matches like this again. In theory I shouldn’t have a chance in the match.”
He added, “But I’ve worked my hardest, put myself in a great position and it’s a fantastic opportunity to play against him again on a big court in a huge tournament.”
Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray : Head to Head
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will face each other for the first time since 2017. Previously Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has faced each other thirty-six times.
In all these encounters the Serb had the upper hand by 25-11. Murray has won eleven times out of the 36 games between them. Nole leads their clay court meetings 5-1 and has won both their previous encounters in Madrid.
Who will win this time around?
A treasured rivalry will be renewed 🍿@DjokerNole faces @andy_murray in the third round in Madrid!@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/Do9cnSK0I8
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 3, 2022
Going by the previous statistics, Novak Djokovic has the upper hand between the two. He is the favourite between the two. One cannot write-off former world no.1, Andy Murray also. He has defeated the Serb in their previous encounters.
In their previous encounters on a clay court, Djokovic has had the upper hand. The match is brilliantly poised. It would be a great for the fans around the world irrespective of the result.
Schedule for Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray
From 2006 to 2022 🙏
Djokovic & Murray will write the 37th (!) chapter in their historic rivalry in Madrid!@DjokerNole @andy_murray #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/dLlvWLsAYU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 3, 2022
The clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 2002. The 2022 Madrid Open will take place at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain. The tournament director is Feliciano Lopez.
The Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray, third round (round of 16) match is scheduled to take place on Thursday May 5, 2022 in Madrid, Spain.
The match will start at 12:00pm CEST. Tennis fans in the UK can tune in at 11:30am BST while the fans in the US can watch the game at 06:00 am EDT. The Australian fans can watch the match at 07:30pm ACST.
Broadcasting rights for the match
United Kingdom residents can watch the match between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on Amazon Prime Video.
The fans who live in United States can watch the match on Tennis Channel and in Australia the match will be broadcasted live on beIN Sports. And the Indian fans can watch it on Voot.