Andy Murray v Novak Djokovic: Can Brit cause shock victory over world No. 1 in first meeting since 2017?

Andy Murray gave a glimpse into his mind when he was asked after his impressive victory over Denis Shapovalov at the Madrid Open whether the prospect of facing Novak Djokovic in the next round had provided any motivation for him. Rather than go with the stock answer – “I was just out there taking it point by point, not thinking too far ahead” – Murray was honest. “I thought about it a little bit at the beginning of the third set.

I didn’t know if I was going to get the opportunity to play matches like that again and in theory I shouldn’t have a chance. Ad/> “But I have put myself in a great position and have worked extremely hard over the last five or six weeks to get myself here and it’s a fantastic opportunity to play against him again on a huge court in a big tournament.” ATP MadridNadal's frantic sprint to watch Real beat City after his own victory — Madrid Open Diary38 MINUTES AGO Murray has already beaten former Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem and world No. 16 Shapovalov in Madrid.

If he was looking for any vindication over his U-turn to play on clay rather than prepare for the grass season he surely has it already. But Murray wants more. He has spoken so often over the last 12 months about wanting to test himself against the “best in the world” that it’s hard not to think that is the benchmark he has set himself.

It may seem unrealistic to some and despite how far off he appears right now — at No. 78 in the world rankings — he will be relishing the chance to face Djokovic again. Perhaps there’s a bit of nostalgia in it.