Too Close For Comfort

Novak Djokovic feels Andy Murray breathing down his neck, and he doesn't like it one bit. Barry Flatman breaks it down:

The touch Djokovic showed to initially leave Murray in his wake seems to have deserted him. He regularly complains about not finding the right rhythm.

“I did not start the year the way I wanted to. I made some major changes with the racket, which was quite risky at this time. I just have to move on.” The pained expression on the face of Djokovic’s coach, Marian Vajda, throughout the defeat by Roddick suggested that it is not going to be an easy process. The pressure exerted by Murray only adds to the anxiety.

The two men may play at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, which begins on Wednesday and is billed as the second stage of the 2009 Masters 1000 series that comes to a climax at London’s 02 Arena in November.

But the up-coming European clay court season will be crucial. While Murray never won more than two matches in succession on clay in 2008, Djokovic won the title in Rome and reached the semi-final stage at Monte Carlo and the French Open.