Who Andy Murray picked as his three toughest opponents on the ATP Tour back in 2012 with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic not included

Andy Murray is one of tennis’ most iconic figures of recent history, having achieved remarkable feats in the face of unwavering opposition.

One of many who were unfortunate enough to have been born in the generation of the Big Three, his opportunities to claim the sport’s elite trophies were regularly starved by these legendary figures.

However, he has since been recognised for his attempts to do so throughout his career, often being included in a makeshift Big Four given how closely he pushed them.

And yet, despite this stiff competition from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, only one made his three toughest-ever opponents back in 2012.

Andy Murray names his toughest opponents to face in 2012

Speaking to ATP Tennis nearly 13 years ago, the Scotsman was quizzed on who he found to be his toughest opponents at the time.

And, given this was arguably the real peak of the Big Four’s competition with one another, it’s a surprise more of those rivals do not feature.

In fact, only Nadal was named when offering up three options, as he stated: ‘Firstly, Rafael Nadal. I’ve played him a couple of times and they’ve been great matches but his mentality on the court is awesome and he fights for every single point. That’s one of the reasons why he’s number two in the world: he never gives up. He fights right until the end.

‘Secondly, I’m going to say Arnaud Clement from France. I’ve played him twice before, lost both times. I’m not really that sure why I find it difficult to play against him. I’ve just been a bit impatient against him before. He’s one of the quickest guys on the tour and doesn’t make too many mistakes. Hits the ball very flat so I struggle against him.

‘Thirdly, Karlovic. For a lot of the guys he’s just not fun to play against. You’re going to have to take your chances against him. It’s going to come down to one or two points against him in the match. He can fire down 25-30 aces. You don’t really have any say in that because of how tall he is.’

What is next for Andy Murray after splitting with Novak Djokovic?

It seems crazy to think that now, 13 years on from this year, Andy Murray and Djokovic had transitioned from fierce rivals to coaching partners.

After all, 2012 saw them compete in some gruelling matches, including the Australian Open semi-final and the US Open final, both of which went the full five sets.

Murray won his first-ever Grand Slam against the Serbian in New York, but suffered so many crushing defeats at his hands.

Frustratingly, this insight into his game could not help provoke an upturn in form, leading to Murray and Djokovic’s split earlier this month.

The former’s next steps remain unclear, but one pundit has suggested that Murray could coach Emma Raducanu in the future.

For now, it seems that alternative business interests will take up most of the 38-year-old’s time.