The highly anticipated third round showdown between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at the Madrid Open will not take place.
Organisers at the Caja Magica have confirmed that Murray has been forced to withdraw from the clash due to an unspecific illness. A frustrating outcome for the Brit who had showed encouraging form in the Spanish capital after defeating Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov earlier in the tournament. Shapovalov is the highest-ranked player he has beaten so far this season.
“Unfortunately, Andy Murray is unable to take to the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness,” the tournament said in a statement on social media.
“We wish you a speedy recovery Andy Murray!”
The two were set to lock horns on the Tour for the 37th time in their careers and the first since the 2017 Doha Open. They have played against each other in four Grand Slam finals, at every Masters 1000 events and battled against each other for the year-end No.1 spot in the 2016 ATP Finals. Djokovic leads Murray 25-11 in their head-to-head.
As a result of the withdrawal, Djokovic is through to the last eight in Madrid for the ninth time in his career. He started his campaign in this year’s draw with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3, win over Gael Monfils. In the quarter-finals he will play either compatriot Dusan Lajovic or 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz.
Neither Murray or a member of his team have commented on what kind of illness the three-time Grand Slam winner is suffering from.
