What is most likely to be the final of the Australian Open 2017 will be played out in Doha on Saturday when Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic lock horns for the first time in the new year. The two best men's singles players in the world clash in the final of the Qatar Open.
Murray won all the plaudits in 2016, for his brilliant performances in the second half of the year. With an Olympic gold medal added to the Wimbledon and ATP World Tour Finals titles, Murray deservedly took home the year-end No.1 ranking from Djokovic, who, after winning the French Open had looked unstoppable.
The Serbian's form fell after that title at Roland Garros and while he has forced his way into the final of another ATP tournament, Djokovic is still to convince or show he is still the ridiculously-dominant force that saw him win tournament after tournament, Grand Slam after Grand Slam.
Djokovic needed all of his energy and winning power to beat Fernando Verdasco in the semifinal on Friday, with the current world number two saving five match points before beating the Spaniard 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.
"It was quite a thrilling experience for me to be able to go five match points down, I'm obviously very pleased because you need these kind of matches, these kind of confidence boosters, for whatever is coming up after that," Djokovic said.
The former world number one is looking forward to playing the current No.1 ranked player in the world in what should be a wonderfully-absorbing Qatar Open 2017 final.
"Playing already in the finals of the first event definitely serves as a great confidence incentive," the 29 year old added. "Obviously this is exactly what I hoped that I can achieve, to get to the finals.
"I'm hoping I can play on a high level and we can compete as we always did against each other. We always have very physical battles, long rallies, entertaining matches. Between No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, it's a perfect match-up for the final. Let's see what happens."
While Djokovic struggled through to the final, Murray's passage from the semifinals was pretty serene, with the Brit getting the better of the third seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-4. Now, it's all about beating his biggest rival, who has a better 24-11 head to head record.
"It's a great test," Murray said. "To start the year, it's great to play against one of the best in the world. We know each other's games better than we know anyone else's."
When to Watch Live
Murray vs Djokovic is scheduled for a 6pm local time (8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am ET) start.
Live streaming and TV information:
India: TV: Ten Sports 3 and Ten HD1.
Live Streaming international, including India: ATP World Tour live.
