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.
RELATED: The best photos from the ATP Finals
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.
RELATED: Looking back at all the ATP year-end No.1s
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 |
29 April 2016
Victory was never out of the question when Bernard Tomic faced 17-time Grand Slam champion... More
13 November 2017
Jack Sock had just played half volley against Roger Federer at the ATP Finals that lofted... More
22 September 2017
In the heat and humidity of the recent US Open series, there was a slow-mo nod to a long-r... More
30 December 2019
Nick Kyrgios’ first-round win over Andrey Rublev at last year’s Kremlin Cup in Moscow ... More