Another installment of the Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray rivalry will take place on Saturday in Indian Wells. Djokovic is coming off a free pass into the semifinals thanks to Bernard Tomic.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will be squaring off for the 25th time in their careers when they collide in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday.
Djokovic is leading the head-to-head series 16-8 after beating Murray 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0 in the final of this year’s Australian Open. The Serb has won 14 of their 20 hard-court encounters, including eight in a row since losing the 2012 U.S. Open final. They have not faced each other in Indian Wells since a semifinal clash back in 2007, when Djokovic cruised 6-2, 6-3.
Djokovic ended up losing that title match to Rafael Nadal, but he has since triumphed in the desert three times while boasting an overall record of 39-6. So far this fortnight he has taken out Marcos Baghdatis, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and John Isner without dropping a set. The world No. 1 then got a walkover past an injured Bernard Tomic on Thursday.
Murray has enjoyed a similarly routine trek through the tournament. The fourth-ranked Scot crushed Vasek Pospisil, dropped one set to Philipp Kohlschreiber in an otherwise straightforward match, and rolled over Adrian Mannarino before improving to 10-0 lifetime against Feliciano Lopez. Murray is 16-3 this season and a decent 24-9 lifetime in Indian Wells with no titles.
“He’s obviously a top, top player, especially on this surface,” Murray said of Djokovic. “He’s played extremely well here in the past. He will be totally fresh as well and ready for the semis, so it will be a tough one for me. But I feel like I (have) played well this week, and if I can keep that level up and for a sustained period on Saturday, I’ll have a chance.”
But not a good one, as the No. 5 seed seems to admit. Djokovic was once doomed by a quarterfinal walkover at the 2011 French Open (from Fabio Fognini) and showed obvious rust in an ensuing loss to Roger Federer. However, a Masters 1000 is different in that players do not always have a day off in between matches. The rest will come in handy for Djokovic, who sent a message after two lackluster performances by putting on an awesome show against Isner.
As such, it is hard to see Murray turning the tide in a head-to-head series that is quickly getting away from him.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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