Djokovic plays down Murray rivalry

 

Originally published on: 26/02/13 00:00

Murray and Djokovic did battle seven times in 2012, with the Serb edging the rivalry with four victories, although Murray triumphed at both the US Open and the London 2012 Olympics. Djokovic leads their career head-to-head 11-7.

However, the world No. 1 refused to single Murray out as his greatest threat, claiming the 31-year-old Federer and injury-prone Nadal remain big rivals.

“I cannot pick him [Murray] over Roger and Rafa because all three of them are still my biggest rivals and I cannot pick one of those three guys,” Djokovic said. "Roger and Rafa have been so dominant in our sport and they have still – from all of the active players – the biggest rivalry.

“Andy and I have played a lot of great matches in the last 15 months and – hopefully – we can maintain this high level of excitement and tough matches when we’re playing and develop this rivalry in years to come.”

Djokovic returns to action this week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he is a three-time champion. He takes on fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in the first round.

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