When Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray last stared each other down on a tennis court in 2017, the period signified a slight shift in the dynamic of their longtime rivalry. They were born a week apart, they had known each other from childhood and they both broke through on the ATP at exactly the same time, yet Djokovic had been the higher-ranked player in every single one of their first 34 professional meetings.
It took the season of Murray’s life in 2016 for him to finally, fleetingly, stand above Djokovic, usurping him as the No 1 at the close of the season. In hindsight, though, it took everything.
