Excitement was building among tennis fans for the Mutua Madrid Open clash between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, rivals who were poised to face off for the 37th time in their careers in the round of 16 at the clay court tournament on Thursday. Unfortunately, Murray made a shocking decision that won't please tennis fans, as reported by ESPN.

“Unfortunately, Andy Murray is unable to take to the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness,” tournament organisers said in a statement on social media.

Due to an illness, Murray won't take the court against Djokovic at the Madrid Open. The three-time Grand Slam winner has withdrawn from the tournament, meaning Djokovic will advance to the quarter final round on a walkover win.

The world no. 1 will face the winner of the Madrid Open match between Hubert Hurkacz and Dusan Lajovic. It's a disappointing development for Murray, who had won his first match on clay in two years, racking up a couple of impressive defeats of Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovolov.

Many were intrigued by the Murray-Djokovic match, given the encouraging stretch from Murray and the recent up-and-down play from Djokovic. Unfortunately, fans won't get treated to a blockbuster match on Thursday.

However, with Rafael Nadal still remaining in the field at the Madrid Open, there is hope that perhaps he and Djokovic will meet at some point.