Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will relive their budding rivalry in their first tournament of the year, with both players set to duel in the final round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha on Saturday.
Murray will attempt to defeat Djokovic for the second-straight time when the two top players in the ATP World Rankings squares off in the finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. Murray, who advanced to the final round after defeating Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-4, expressed excitement in reigniting his rivalry against Djokovic as early as this month.
"It's a great test tomorrow. To start the year, it's great to play against one of the best in the world," Murray said, reports the ATP's official website. "We know each other's games better than we know anyone else's."
It will be the 36th time Murray will compete against Djokovic, who had to save five match points to defeat Spain's Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-3 and advance into the final round. For Djokovic, defending his crown in the first event of the year would serve as a confidence booster as he bids to reclaim his No. 1 spot in the world rankings in the 2017 season.
"I'm hoping I can play on a high level and we can compete as we always did against each other. We always have very physical battles, long rallies, entertaining matches. Between No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, it's a perfect match-up for the final. Let's see what happens," Djokovic said.
Djokovic leads Murray by 24-11 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup, but the Serb's inconsistency in the second half of the 2016 season caused him to lose his spot atop the world rankings to the Scot. Both players could immediately revisit their rivalry when Djokovic and Murray competes at the Australian Open on Jan. 16, 2017.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2017 live: Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic via TennisTV. Live score updates will be available during game days at the ATP's official website.
Video courtesy: YouTube/ACE TENNIS