In praise of… Andy Murray

Published by Paul Moore

Andy Murray answered any lingering doubts over his No.1 credentials with an emphatic win over Novak Djokovic. Photo: Getty Images
With his emphatic victory over Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray answered any lingering questions about his place at the top of the ATP pile.

He is the nearly man no more. For the majority of the last decade, Andy Murray has stood in the shadows of an interchangeable trio of tennis giants: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Yes, he was always considered part of tennis’ ‘Big Four’, but he was a polite inclusion, very much the ‘fourth’ of that four.

That changed once and for all in London yesterday.

With his comfortable victory over Novak Djokovic at the O2 Arena, Andy Murray accomplished three things: first, he won his maiden ATP World Tour Final title; second, he confirmed the year-end No.1 ranking; third, he answered any lingering questions about the legitimacy of his rise to the top of the world rankings.

And make no mistake: there have been plenty of questions.

Fans and commentators alike have conjectured that Murray has benefitted from Djokovic’s injury-ravaged end to the season. They have claimed that he is no match for the all-conquering Serb when he is at his best. And they have argued that Murray is unable to beat the 12-time Major champion on the sport’s biggest stages.

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Looking back over the history of their rivalry there is some truth to these arguments.

Djokovic leads the head to head with Murray 24-10. What’s more, the Serb has won every one of their Major matches – the benchmark of success for many fans and commentators – since Murray’s victory in the 2013 Wimbledon final.

But to look at their rivalry as a whole is to do disservice to the compelling narrative of this season. Because Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are not the same players who started 2016. In fact, their trajectories in form could not have been more different.

Going in to the Australian Open Djokovic carried himself with a relaxed swagger. He was the best tennis player in the world by a country mile and he knew it. Ignoring a blip in Dubai, that swagger carried him all the way through to Roland Garros, where he completed the ‘Novak Slam’. That was as good as it would get for the Serb, who struggled with injuries and personal problems during a torrid second half to the year.

In comparison, Murray has gone from strength to strength. Given the birth of his daughter in February, the Brit can be forgiven for taking his eye off the ball in the first few months of the season. As the Tour hit the European clay he was starting to fire again, but as attention turned to the grass (and he re-hired Lendl), Murray became nothing short of sensational. Since Queen’s he has won all but two of the ten tournaments he has entered, has won five titles in a row and is on a career-best 24-0 win streak.

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Those are world No.1 credentials.

What’s more, Murray underlined his latter season domination with a comfortable victory over the man that many have claimed he usurped. By dismissing Djokovic in straight sets in the season finale, Andy Murray not only proved that he could get the better of the Serb, but that he could do so on one of the sport’s biggest stages when the pressure was well and truly on.

He answered any lingering doubts about his suitability for the No.1 spot in emphatic style, and comfirmed that he really is the best tennis player in the world.

A tale of two seasons – Murray and Djokovic’s tournament performances over 2016:

Tournament  Murray performance Djokovic performance
Doha Did not play Won
Australian Open Final Won
Dubai Did not play QF
Indian Wells 3R Won
Miami 3R Won
Monte Carlo SF 2R
Madrid Final Won
Rome Won Final
Roland Garros Final Won
Queen’s Won Did not play
Wimbledon Won 3R
Rogers Cup Did not play Won
Olympics Won 1R
Cincinnati Final Did not play
US Open QF Final
China Open Won Did not play
Shanghai Won SF
Vienna Won Did not play
Paris Won QF
ATP Finals Won Final
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