NEW YORK—The first time Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray faced off, they were a pair of scrawny pre-teens calling their own lines. When the pair square off in tonight's BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden, in front of more than 10,000 people (including a chair umpire and linesmen) they will be armed with a deep familiarity of each other’s games—and an appreciation for how their ongoing rivalry has shaped their styles.
"We played each other the first time when we were 11 years old," Murray told TENNIS at today's pre-match press conference at the JW Marriott Essex House. "Our games have obviously changed a lot. We’ve grown up as people as well. I think the one thing that has changed in tennis is the athleticism, and I’ve played against Novak and know what it’s like to be on the other side of the net. He’s an incredible athlete, moves exceptionally well and that [level of athleticism] is something that has changed over the last five or six years since we came on the tour."
Born seven days apart, Djokovic and Murray rose through the junior ranks together, broke into the Top 100 at about the same time, and have met in four major finals. Both 26-year-olds employ former top-ranked players as coaches (Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl) and continue to push each other to evolve. Their rivalry is rooted in another rivalry: Pete Sampras was the Serbian's tennis role model, while Andre Agassi was the Scot's hero. And the fact that both are explosive movers, possess whiplash two-handed backhands, and are creative improvisers means their matches can often come down to the man who masters the margins best.
Djokovic points to Stanislas Wawrinka's surge to his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, Roger Federer's title run in Dubai last weekend, and the rise of young talents as signs of an expanded field in the Grand Slam race.
"What Stan did in the Australian Open shows that there is also players other than the top four that are able to win Grand Slams," said Djokovic, who added that Federer remains a major contender. "Roger played a great tournament in Dubai. He’s a 17-time Grand Slam winner and one of the best players in the history of the game and you can never sign him out... He’s still able to win big tournaments. He’s proven that he played a great event in Australia. Of course Rafa is there and we have young guys like [Grigor] Dimitrov and [Milos] Raonic and [Jerzy] Janowicz and the big servers.
"It’s a very interesting time for men’s tennis at this moment. And it’s just the beginning of the season so it’s still too early to predict who can finish No. 1 and who will win the Grand Slams but I think there is a bigger group of players right now, not just the top four players, who can win Grand Slams."
Weeks after his loss to Wawrinka in last September's U.S. Open quarterfinals, back surgery prematurely ended Murray's 2013 season. The Wimbledon champion believes the break has helped him physically refresh and mentally recharge—and is encouraged that his body recovered from three three-setters en route to last week's Acapulco semifinals, where he lost to Dimitrov.