How do you stop Novak Djokovic? Andy Murray will be the latest player attempting to solve the near-unsolvable puzzle, when the two giants of the sport meet in the French Open men's singles semifinal on Friday.
Djokovic showed just why he is considered the best player in the world by handing Rafael Nadal only his second ever defeat at Roland Garros, and first in 40 matches. While stopping Nadal in his tracks at the French Open was a great feat in itself, what was more impressive was the manner in which the Serbian won the match.
Not once did Nadal look in control or on top of the contest, and apart from a brief flurry of games in the first set, the blockbuster quarterfinal was all Djokovic.
Having picked up one of the most impressive victories in his career, the career Grand Slam task for Djokovic does not get any easier, though, with Andy Murray, the other player with an unbeaten record on clay this season, lying in wait.
If there is any player capable of giving Djokovic a game, forget about picking up a win, right now it is Murray, and that is what the Scot will hope to do. Try and stay with Djokovic for as long as possible, force a few mistakes and make sure those mistakes are punished.
"I feel like obviously this year I played much better tennis on clay," Murray said looking to the semifinal against the world number one. "I feel like I understand how I have to play on the surface better than I did in the past.
"Madrid (where he won the title by beating Nadal in the final), the quality of the players I won against there, for me, winning against Rafa in a final on clay regardless of how well he's playing is an extremely difficult thing to do. So that helped my confidence."
"Going into the match [against Djokovic] having not lost on clay this year and having some big wins on the surface is important for me. I will just keep doing what I have been doing -- have a good practice, recover, and come up with a good game plan."
Easier said than done against the man who has been playing the best tennis of his life and the best tennis, by a long way, of any player this year. It is safe to say if Djokovic plays to his full potential, Murray will fall short. So, the key will be for Murray to try and force Djokovic to play below par, or hope he does, and take full advantage.
However, the problem lies in the fact that Djokovic has shown no signs of weakness in 2015. He is unbeaten on clay this season, and looking well on course to clinch his first Roland Garros title.
"He has improved on clay, no doubt about it," Djokovic, the losing finalist at the French Open in 2012 and 2014, said of Murray.
"Here he's been playing some really good tennis. He's moving better, serving very well, and he always had a touch, one of the best ground-strokes in the game for last ten years since he's been really playing.
"He's extremely talented. He's also a great fighter and somebody that has a lot of experience playing in big matches. The furthest he got in Roland Garros was semifinals, and I think he played last year semis against Rafa, so I'm sure that he's very motivated to get at least one step further."
Update: The semifinal is poised nicely at 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 3-3 in the favour of Djokovic, with the match suspended due to bad light and an impending storm on Friday. This big semifinal, which had Andy Murray come back brilliantly, will continue on Saturday at 1 pm local time (4.30 pm IST, 12 pm BST, 7 am ET).
Where to Watch Live
Get the Full Match Report HERE
Get the Friday Report HERE
The rest of the Djokovic vs Murray will continue at 4.30 pm IST (1 pm CET, 12 pm BST, 7 am ET). Live coverage of this big semifinal match will be on Neo Prime and Neo Sports in India.
Viewers watching the French Open semifinal action in the UK can tune into ITV, while the live streaming option is on ITV Player. Audience in the rest of Europe can catch Murray vs Djokovic Live on Eurosport. The action can also be live streamed on Eurosport Player.
US viewers can catch the semifinal match live on NBC and ESPN, with the live stream options on Watch ESPN and NBC Sports Live Extra. Australia viewers can flip the remote to Fox Sports, while the online live streaming option is on Foxtel Play.
Audience around the world can also listen to the Djokovic vs Murray match live on Roland Garros Radio.
