Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are rivals on the tennis court. But they also share a very close bond with each other. And both the Tennis stars are ready to face each other in Dubai for the upcoming tournament. The world number one recently opened up about their amazing childhood history as he recalled his reaction when, for the first time, he lost to the British tennis player. 

Both tennis players have achieved magnificent feats in their respective careers and always strive for more. Now, they might get a chance to go against each other on the tennis court during the Dubai tennis championships.

What happened when Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray first faced each other? 

The Serbian tennis star at his pre-tournament press conference for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships recalled an incident when he faced the three-time Grand Slam champion for the first time on the tennis court.

He said, “Andy and I go back a long time, I think since we were 11 or 12 years old. That’s the first time we met, the first time we played against each other. He kicked my a** – sorry for my language – at that time. Ever since then, we kind of followed each other on the journey to becoming professional players.”

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Despite looking forward to meeting one of his biggest rivals, he added that they both have to win matches before facing each other. Not only that, the whole number one also praised Murray and called him a champion and a fighter at the same time.

Djokovic hails Murray as a champion 

In the same interview, the 35-year-old Serb shared that the three-time Grand Slam champion has so much talent and has a clear mentality of a champion and a fighter. Additionally, he also praised the Brit’s grit that was on full display over the last couple of months.

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However, this is not the first time when the 22-time Grand Slam champion hailed his arch-rival as a champion. A few years back in 2020, he showed a similar admiration for the three-time Grand Slam champion. 

What do you think? Will Djokovic and Murray get a chance to face each other in Dubai? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.