Andy Murray's potential route to Miami Open glory includes Milos Raonic and Novak Djokovic
Monday 28 March 2016 17:55, UK
Andy Murray will likely have to exorcise the ghosts of last year's Miami Open final defeat to Novak Djokovic if he is to claim glory in the Florida sunshine.
In 2015, Djokovic ran away with a 7-6 4-6 6-0 victory to claim the Miami title against Murray. Having been drawn in opposite halves of this year's competition as the No 1 and No 2 seeds, they will not meet before the final.
This is the potential route that Murray could navigate towards Miami glory. You can watch the Miami Open live on Sky Sports between March 23-April 3...
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Denis Istomin - second round
The Uzbekistan player managed to break Murray in the second set but couldn't hold onto the advantage. Murray eventually wrapped up a straight sets victory to condemn Istomin to further despair in a shockingly poor run of form.
Istomin beat prodigious teenager Borna Coric in three sets in a first-round Miami tie which put some gloss on a bleak year - it was his first win in eight matches during 2016, and his first on the tour since last October. Istomin is the world No 76 and Murray had won both of their previous meetings in 2013.
Grigor Dimitrov - third round
Murray might have found himself in a rematch with Federico Delbonis, the world No 53 who eliminated him last week at Indian Wells, but it wasn't to be. Bulgaria's Dimitrov ended Delbonis' hopes with a second-round 7-6 4-6 6-4 victory.
Dimitrov, 24, is the world No 28 and will be no shrinking violet as a third-round opponent. Murray owns a 6-2 head-to-head record against Dimitrov, and has won their three most recent meetings.
Gael Monfils - fourth round
A match-up with one of the tour's great entertainers would be a fascinating prospect for Murray fans. Monfils, complete with his arsenal of unorthodox shots and party tricks, is always great value to test the world's top players.
Monfils has a respectable two wins from six matches against Murray, although those wins came in 2006 and 2010. Since then, they have played just once and Murray won in the 2014 French Open quarter-final.
Monfils defeated Delbonis, who in turn beat Murray, last week at Indian Wells but then lost to Milos Raonic in the last eight.
Kei Nishikori - quarter-finals
The athletic Japanese player is one of the few players on tour who can keep pace with Murray's high-octane, punishing style of tennis. Yet, the world No 6 Nishikori has only beaten him once in seven attempts.
Should they meet in Miami, Murray vs Nishikori would be a rematch from earlier this month. They met in Birmingham in the Davis Cup, with Murray winning to hand Great Britain an insurmountable 3-1 advantage over Japan.
That contest was a five-set marathon and Nishikori was up to speed for the vast majority of the match. Should they play again, Murray must know his opponent will not tire in the three-set format of the Miami Open.
Milos Raonic - semi-finals
A rematch of the five-set Australian Open semi-final awaits should the huge-hitting Canadian makes progress. And he will be fully be expected to following a wonderful start to the season.
Raonic claimed his eighth career ATP Tour title in Brisbane before an impressive run at Melbourne Park. He followed that up by reaching the Indian Wells final where he was dismantled by world No 1 Novak Djokovic for only his second defeat of the year.
His recent form suggests he can mix it with the big name players, but he must stay fit and healthy in order to continue his improvement.
Murray holds a narrow 4-3 winning record over the world No 12 and has won their last three meetings.
Novak Djokovic - final
Take a look back at last year's Miami Open final where Novak Djokovic beat Murray
Who else but Djokovic? The mighty Serb could be paired against Roger Federer in his semi-final after either Richard Gasquet or Tomas Berdych in the quarters, but it remains difficult to foresee a Djokovic defeat.
Chief among his various accolades is a brutally one-sided record over Murray which includes last year's Miami final. The world No 1 owns a 22-9 head-to-head advantage which has actually gathered pace in recent years.
At last year's Montreal Masters, Murray snapped an eight-match losing streak against Djokovic which dated back to his famous 2013 Wimbledon final win. Since the result in Canada Djokovic has romped to three consecutive wins against the Dunblane man, most recently in the Australian Open final in January. A second match-up of 2016 is an imposing prospect for Murray.
You can watch the Miami Open live on Sky Sports between March 23 - April 3.
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