Andy Murray said he would love to play Novak Djokovic again as the Brit is at risk of drawing his old rival in the first round of Wimbledon. The two-time champion at SW19 narrowly missed out on a seeded spot and could come up against a top player from the off. But Murray is ready for the challenge and still wants to play the Serb again, even if it’s not at Wimbledon.
Murray previously made it no secret that his goal was to be seeded at Wimbledon this year. He made strides after winning back-to-back Challenger titles in Surbiton and Nottingham but a first-round loss at Queen’s saw his dream come to an end, as he is ranked at No 39 while the top 32 get in as seeds.
The former world No 1 could now come up against anyone in his opening match when a seeding would have ensured that he wouldn’t face anyone in the top 32 spots. But Murray is still feeling confident given his recent form and is ready to face even the toughest players in the draw.
“Well, ideally, that wouldn’t happen right at the beginning,” he said when asked whether he would relish the challenge of facing someone like Djokovic as early as round one. “I mean, I would obviously want that to happen probably later in the tournament.”
Regardless, Murray backed himself against tough opposition in the early rounds. He continued: “But yeah, at the same time, because of the situation. I need to be prepared for that, I need to be ready to play against anyone right from the start.
“And I’ve had some pretty tough you know, first-round draws in the Slams over the last couple of years, so I need to be ready for that. And I think I am.” If it is Djokovic on the other side of the net on the first Monday of Wimbledon, Murray will be happy to face his old foe again.
The pair haven’t met since 2017 and were due to face off in Madrid last year before Murray pulled out with food poisoning. “Obviously I would love to play against Novak again,” the three-time Major champion said.
“I can’t remember the last time we played, I think it might even have been in like Doha or something like that in 2017 maybe. It was a long time ago. And yeah, I would love the chance to play against him again, whether that’s at Wimbledon or further down the line.
“Yeah, I would like that and I got unfortunate I was supposed to play against him in Madrid and obviously got ill and but yeah, I’d like that chance again.” And Murray also thought that he was just as competitive as when he used to face Djokovic in battles for Grand Slams and the No 1 ranking.
He added: “I’m not any less competitive than I was in the past. I still have a big desire to go out there on the court and compete. I’m aware that I’m in a different situation now but I’m extremely proud of what it is that I’m doing now.
“It’s unbelievably hard and difficult what it is I’ve been through the last few years from a physical perspective. And, yeah, I’m proud of the work that I’ve done to still be out there competing at the highest level.”
The Wimbledon draw will be made on Friday when Murray will finally learn his fate. But a seed wouldn’t be a problem for the Brit given his recent track record – he defeated 20th seed Matteo Berrettini in five sets during his opening match at the Australian Open in January.
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