Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray: Career Comparison
Novak Djokovic
This 23-year-old Serbian player was born in Belgrade, and currently resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He turned professional in 2003, and plays right-handed tennis with a two-handed backhand. Novak “Nole” Djokovic weighs in at 80 kg and 188 cm.
Djokovic achieved his highest career ranking on February 1, 2010, when he became World Number 2. He is currently World Number 3, a position he has held consistently since October 18, 2010. He has been on tour with the ATP for eight years now, and has amassed a total of $20,262,956 (USD) as prize money. His career win-loss record is 338 wins to 107 defeats.
Novak Djokovic has won a total of 18 titles over the course of his career. His hard court record is 215 wins to 62 losses, and his Grand Slam win-loss ratio is 91 to 23. Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open, and his win-loss record at this tournament is 24 victories to 5 losses. So far in 2011, he has not lost any of his nine matches.
2011 Australian Open:
Novak Djokovic began the tournament by facing Marcel Granollers in the first round. Nole made short work of the Spanish player, defeating him 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. In the second round, Djokovic defeated Croatian player Ivan Dodig 7-5, 6-7(8-10), 6-0, 6-2. The third set was fought against compatriot Viktor Troicki, who retired after losing the first set 6-2. Djokovic defeated fourteenth seed Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 and went on to beat sixth seed Tomas Berdych 6-1, 7-6(7-5), 6-1.
He then defeated defending champion Roger Federer in the semi-final, winning the match 7-6(7-3), 7-5, 6-4.
Andy Murray
This Scottish player is also 23 years old, and he currently lives in London. Murray turned pro in 2005, and he also plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand. He weighs in at 84 kg with a height of 190 cm.
Murray reached his career-high ranking, World Number 2, in August 2009. He is currently ranked World Number 5. Over his six-year long career, Murray’s total prize money amounts to $13,967,298 (USD). He has won 279 matches and lost 95, and his hard court record is 205 victories to 59 losses. Murray has a total of 16 career titles, and no Grand Slam wins. His Australian Open win-loss ratio is 18 wins to 5 defeats. His best showing at the Australian Open was in 2010, when he competed in the final against champion Roger Federer.
2011 Australian Open:
Andy Murray’s first round opponent was Karol Beck, who retired in the third set with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-1, 4-2. His second round match was played against Ukrainian Illya Marchenko, whom Murray defeated 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. In the third round, Murray defeated Spanish thirty-second seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 6-1, 6-2. In the round of the last 16, Murray was up against eleventh seed Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian retired at 6-7(5-7), 6-2, 6-1, 4-3. His quarterfinal opponent was Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, who was ousted 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(3-7), 6-3 by Murray.
Murray then overthrew seventh seed David Ferrer 4-6, 7-6(7-2), 6-1, 7-6(7-2) in the event's semifinal.
The two players will now meet each other on Sunday, in a match which will determine the winner of the 2011 Australian Open. The final is expected to be an interesting toss-up, particularly because the two players have not contested a match since 2009. In addition to this, both players are close friends and often practice together before important matches.
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