Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray: Who Benefits Most from Friday's Suspended Play

The storm changes everything.

The 2015 French Open semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray is no longer a marathon. It's a sprint now. A different type of race benefits a certain type of player. Murray may want to thank the heavens for sending storm clouds to Paris and giving him a better chance of reaching the finals at Roland Garros.

Play was suspended with Djokovic leading 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 3-3. Play is scheduled to resume Sunday afternoon.

Djokovic held the psychological and physical edge, until the storm moved in and changed the nature of the competition. Now Murray can recover physically, and Djokovic has more time to think about how he let that third set get away. 

Tomorrow is another day, and despite Djokovic's lead, it's a new match now. 

Murray is the bigger dude. In a long run, take the skinny guy with the lean legs. In a sprint, go with the man with the big calves. 

Murray once said that as hard as he trains, he has trouble keeping up with Novak Djokovic down the stretch. Thanks to suspended play, Murray no longer has to. He gets a fresh start. He only needs to beat Djokovic in one-and-a-half sets. In that short amount of time, Murray can go all out. No reason to pace or save something in the tank for later. 

Just the relief that comes with knowing he no longer has to endure three to four hours of baseline rallies may be just the encouragement Murray needs to finish Djokovic off.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka waits. The suspended play improves his chances too. Another big dude, Wawrinka gets a full day's rest while these two tire each other out. A set-and-a-half is more than what Wawrinka will be playing on Sunday. 

Djokovic appeared on the verge of a straight-sets win. Down 4-5 and serving to stay in the match, Murray embraced the atmosphere of urgency. He held serve and then came up with his first break of the match to go up 6-5. 

Until Murray took the third, Djokovic had yet to drop a set in the tournament. 

Now Murray has the momentum on his side. He knows he can hang with Djokovic for a set-and-a-half. 

Djokovic, the gluten-free guru, has revolutionized tennis fitness. Combining flexibility and strength, Djokovic adheres to a stringent fitness routine. He released a book, Serve to Win, about his nutritional and fitness regimens. He recently launched his own line of gluten-free snacks, Djokolife. Djokovic could be the first "holistic tennis champion."

A 2012 article written by ESPN the Magazine's Eli Saslow titled "Freak of Nature" includes the question: "Has Novak Djokovic become the fittest athlete ever?" 

During the 2013 Wimbledon championships, the New York Times' Christopher Clarey wrote about how Djokovic's superior fitness helps him best opponents:

"

He has quickness; power; tactical acumen; excellent technique and, in recent years, considerably improved endurance. But if he has a defining quality, it is elasticity: his ability to stretch into splits or near-splits while extending himself into the corners to track down the opposition’s best efforts and send them back with point-winning pace of his own.

"

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Murray, however, is old school when it comes to training. Big and brawn, Murray pumps iron and enjoys building muscle.

Both are amazing athletes. However, Murray's body has a history of giving out sooner. He underwent minor back surgery in 2013. Citing fatigue, last month Murray withdrew from the Italian Open. 

When the two met earlier this year in Miami, Murray played Djokovic in two tight sets. Then Djokovic breezed by Murray 6-0 in the third. When asked by a reporter about Djokovic's apparent physical advantage, Murray seemed puzzled. He rejected the idea that he was still recovering from back surgery and told reporters that Djokovic outlasted him.  

"I don't know exactly why that is, but I've trained as hard as I can. Maybe I could have hydrated a little bit better or whatever, but I don't think that I can do a whole lot more physically to get in much better shape. ... Yeah, he was stronger than me at the end for sure."

Later in the interview, Murray explained that coming up short physically has been a recurring theme in their matches:

"

I know from my side that I'm training as best as I can. I can try to do more, but I do push myself hard. I obviously know that Novak is a very fit guy. ... In terms of game‑wise, I feel like in a couple of the matches we played this year I feel like I've been able to hang with him, but just not quite for long enough unfortunately. 

"

Outlasting Djokovic is no longer an issue. Murray can focus on trying to beat Djokovic. It's just one-and-a-half sets, a furious fight to the finish.  

In a tussle, take the big dude.