“Unbelievably tough,” Andy Murray reveals what it feels like to face Novak Djokovic in Major Finals

Andy Murray also explained why it is difficult to face someone like Novak Djokovic.

“Unbelievably tough,” Andy Murray reveals what it feels like to face Novak Djokovic in Major Finals

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

British tennis ace Andy Murray is among Novak Djokovic‘s biggest nemesis. The two players met each other on the tour a massive 36 times and the Serbian enjoyed an upper hand almost every time. Djokovic leads the head-to-head record 25-11. Out of these 25 wins, 11 have come in finals, and out of these eleven seven wins have been in Grand Slam finals.

These numbers indicate what dominance Djokovic enjoyed over Murray, and hence the Briton is the right person to explain how it feels to stand on the opposite side of the net when Novak Djokovic is playing a Major final.

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Murray has recalled how he felt when he played against the Serbian ace. The Briton has said that facing Djokovic in a Grand Slam final is an unbelievably tough task. Murray says that the 36-year-old has only gotten better with time and maturing as a player has only made him formidable.

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Obviously unbelievably tough. You know, and then the sort of middle, latter stage of his career, you know, I think even stronger. I have obviously played lots of finals against him and it was extremely difficult for me even when we’d sort of grown up together and had a lot of experience of playing against him in major competitions.
Andy Murray said. (H/T: Tennis 365)

Andy Murray decodes why it is difficult to face some like Novak Djokovic in a final

Murray not only talked about his feelings regarding facing Novak Djokovic in a Major final but he also explained why it is difficult. Murray drew a comparison to his younger self and how it became an uphill task for him when he faced either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.

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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray (Image via Imago)

The three-time Grand Slam champion highlighted that while Djokovic’s tennis does play a part, his mental toughness after being in such pressure situations so many times gives him an edge over the younger players. 

I felt that a bit early on like when I played Roger in my first US Open final or when I was playing Rafa in the latter stages of events when I was quite young. It’s not the same, not the same as playing them in the quarter-finals or semi-final.
Andy Murray explained. 
And I certainly think that for the younger guys now, when it’s Novak on the other side of the net, you know, really, really difficult for them to win against him, not just from the tennis side where, you know, he’s obviously exceptional, but I think from the mental side, as well, because he’s done it all, whereas a lot of the younger players coming through haven’t
The Briton ace further stated.

While Andy Murray has explained that facing Djokovic is an extremely difficult task, youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner seem to have cracked the code. The two players have defeated the Serbian ace in the Grand Slam finals. While Alcaraz beat Djokovic in a marathon final at Wimbledon 2023, Sinner took it a notch higher as the Italian beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion in four sets in the 2024 Australian Open final.

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