Novak Djokovic used his arsenal of weapons to beat Andy Murray

Novak Djokovic used his arsenal of weapons to demolish Andy Murray in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals in Indian Wells, says Miles Maclagan.

Murray struggled in the desert duel, with his world No 1 opponent having an answer to any and every question he posed on court, eventually succumbing to a 6-2, 6-3 defeat.

Miles Maclagan, a former member of Murray's coaching team, told Sky Sports Tennis that it was an outstanding showing from the 2015 Australian Open champion.

"It’s a spectacular performance from Novak Djokovic," said the Sky Sports expert.

"We talk about player’s strengths and weaknesses, I’m just going through his – forehand, backhand, serve and movement - everything in his arsenal is a weapon.

We talk about player’s strengths and weaknesses, I’m just going through his – forehand, backhand, serve and movement - everything in his arsenal is a weapon

"He is so difficult to play against.

"[Murray] was under the pressure the whole time of the quality of Djokovic’s hitting and the movement that allowed him to play with patience and just choose the right shots.

"It’s like a boxing match – you’ve got to be able to absorb some hits and throw some of your own. I think the hits that Djokovic threw at Murray really rattled him.

“It was just too easy a ride for Djokovic."

Right direction

The defeat means Murray has now lost six matches in a row to Djokovic, the last victory being the Wimbledon final in 2013.

Despite being unable to formulate a game plan to beat his Serbian rival, Macaglan insists that Andy Murray has plenty of positives to take from his performances so far this year, and that his back surgery in 2013 still has to be considered.

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"I don’t imagine he has a mental block [when playing Djokovic]. It’s been very underestimated how tough that is [coming back from back surgery].

"Although today he will not like coming off the court having lost so comfortably, I still think he’ll feel he’s going in the right direction.

"He’s reaching new landmarks over and over again since that time out and as long as he and his team have a plan that’s moving forward.

"Let’s not forget, today he was up against the greatest pressure – maybe only Nadal on clay – this is the greatest pressure you can face on a tennis court at this present time.

"A couple of months ago he was in a Grand Slam final and a break up in the third and looked well on his way to winning his third Grand Slam.

"It’s not that everything is a disaster and suddenly falling apart. There will be some matches he won’t be pleased with but he’s played some great tennis and that’s one of the huge skills in tennis - putting that behind you."

Watch the Indian Wells Final live on Sky Sports 3 on Sunday March 22 from 8pm