Andy Murray outclass Novak Djokovic to end year as No. 1

Andy Murray is the new champion at the BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS. On the night when it mattered the most, Murray produced a scintillating performance to outclass the Serb.

The crowd was behind the local boy Andy Murray and he produced a master performance to fend off the Serb in straight sets winning 6-3, 6-4.

Murray is the 17th player in history to end the year as No.1 .

The match which lasted for 1 hour 42 minutes saw some spectacular shots, some haunting forced errors and some big names sitting in the crowd to cheer for the two players at the centre court in London. 

Andy Murray was in a magical touch tonight as he didn't allow Novak to really get going. He proved why he is the new No. 1 in the world.

Congratulations to the new champion. 

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Murray faces Djokovic in a titanic clash at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic won their respective semifinal matches to set up an epic clash for the finals on Sunday.

Andy Murray overcame Milas Raonic's challenge after going down in the first set. He won 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(9).
The match lasted for 3 hours 38 minutes, the longest three set match at the season finale since match times were recorded in 1991. 

Andy Murray had to fight very hard to be in contention for the year end No. 1 title.
As Milas  Raonic finishes the year at career high no. 3. Raonic put up a tough fight, but Murray stood firm even after going down in the first set. He saved 8 break points out of total 12.

Andy Murray, who recently became No. 1, showed why he deserves to be at the incumbency.

"It was one of the tougher matches I played this year,” Murray said. “It was not easy... obviously with it being very long, but also mentally tiring as well."

Murray will face Djokovic in the final showdown on Sunday at the centre court in London .

Novak Djokovic defeated Kei Nishikori in straight sets, 6-1,6-1. He ended the match in just 66 minutes, which shows why he finished the last 2 consecutive years as No. 1 and is in fight for the 3rd.

The final will decide who will end the year on the top. It will be the first time in the history of season finale that the final match will decide who will end year as No. 1. (Ranking points were first awarded at the season finale in 1990.)

So, one must expect it to be a classic.

“I'll just give my best of what I've got tomorrow,” Murray said.

It'll be just second encounter between the Serbian and the British at the ATP World Tour Finals, following a three-set win for the Serbian in 2012 round robin stage.

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Novak Djokovic loves round-robin format

Novak Djokovic is after the year end No. 1 rank. The Serbian is looking to finish the year as No.1 for the fourth successive year.

Djokovic has been a fan of this format. He praised the season-ending tournament format and wished it would be adapted in Davis Cup and Olympics. 

Djokovic is through to the semifinals after beating David Goffin (6-1,6-2) in straight sets in his 2nd match of Round 1 and keeps up pressure on Andy Murray for the year end No. 1 finish.

Novak Djokovic in his post match interview said that he is determined to regain top spot. He also praised the round-robin format.

"I think the format is exciting. I mean, look, it's the only tournament in the year that we have this kind of format. I like playing in the round-robin system," he said.

Djokovic who lost to eventual silver medalist Del Potro in the first round at the Rio Olympics, thinks that this format could be used at Olympics.

"I guess you play more matches," the Beijing bronze medalist said. "The people like to see the top players being at least for a couple of matches, two, three matches in the tournament. I think it gives more value to the event."

Novak was also skeptical about Davis Cup format, feeling it should be condensed instead of being an year long tournament.

"Once a year...two weeks, have a round-robin format," Djokovic said. "Have teams play in different locations, then come together in one location and play a knockout stage, quarterfinals, semifinals, final four, whatever," 

"It's a no-brainer. I'm not the only one to have this kind of opinion about it. Many of the players have been talking about this format and the schedule, top players especially."

Djokovic also pointed out that the three day, best-of-five set system could be reduced to two day, best-of-three matches. But he said that International Tennis Federation hasn't been so keen to it.

"The only thing they wanted to change is the neutral final, I think for the next year or the year after that... nobody agrees with that," Novak said.
"Again , you're taking away from the players the one thing that players love about Davis Cup, which is the home tie, the home crowd."

He added, "I don't know how the future of Davis Cup will look like. But there is definitely soething radically that has to change."

Source : ESPN

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Andy Murray downs Kei Nishikori in an epic at World Tour Finals

It was a similar atmosphere like Flushing meadows, when Andy Murray met Kei Nishikori in the quarters of U.S. Open earlier year in September.
With such noise in the court, the match was gripping and he also had a scare.
Andy Murray had a tough match against Kei Nishikori at the World Tour Finals yesterday.
Had he lost the match yesterday, he was out of the race to finish the year as No. 1.
Andy Murray's meltdown at Arthur Ashe this year in a five-set defeat to Nishikori could have been repeated at the World Tour Finals yesterday after he lost the first set in an 18 minutes tie breaker, but he regrouped himself to overcome the scare.

After Novak Djokovic won against Milas Raonic on Day 3, Murray had to win this match.
However he flirted with danger here, got distracted many a times, getting agitated just like he did at Flushing Meadows, remonstrating with himself and shouting at his box.

He won the match 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4.

After the match he said in the press conference, "I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball as well as I would have liked. He was dictating so many points. For me it was frustrating. Didn't matter whether I tried to hit the ball a bit harder, adjusted my position on the court, nothing was making me hit the ball cleaner."

"As the match went on, I was getting kind of frustrated, then becoming like sarcastic with myself that I couldn't seem to have hit the ball as clean as I wanted to. Yeah, I don't often do that, but today I was definitely being more sarcastic towards myself than usual."

His frustrations almost made him pay when he failed to take 2 set-points at 5-4 in the second set, having already been broken once. He then needed four games to put the game to bed after leading 5-1 in the decider.

"There was nothing in it.", Murray admitted. "He could have won in two sets, for sure. He was dictating many points. He had a number of chances."

Andy Murray is still not guaranteed of his semi-final place as Stan Wawrinka bounced back from his opening defeat to down Marin Cilic 7-6(3), 7-6(3) in Wednesday's evening session at London's O2 Arena.

Situation has got a bit trickier, if Wawrinka beats Murray in two sets and Nishikori wins against Cilic, then Murray will be out of the tournament and Djokovic will finish year as No. 1. But if Cilic gets his first win here then Murray and Wawrinka enter the semi-final regardless.

Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori match lasted for 3 hours 20 minutes, officially the longest in Tour Finals. 

Murray must have realised this fact that it's one thing to reach the top but it takes more to stay there and to stay at top he must match or outdo Novak Djokovic's performance. It may come to a final showdown between the top two on Sunday.

"I think for the tournament and for everyone interested in tennis that would probably be the perfect way to finish the year," admitted Murray.


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ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

Getting in the details of the Barclays ATP world tour finals 

The battle to finish number 1 at the end of the year. 

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are locked in a battle to end this year as Emirates ATP rank 1. 

Andy Murray who was recently crowned number 1, after winning BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, will become just 17th(since 1973) man in history to finish the year as world no. 1. 

While Novak Djokovic will look to win the world tour finals and finish the year as world no. 1 for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall. 

The last time when world no. 2 dethroned the incumbent world no. 1 at the season finale,  to finish the year with the prestigious world no. 1 ranking was back in 2001, when Lleyton Hewitt overtook Gustavo Kuerten in Sydney. 

So what all Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have to do to finish the year as No. 1 

Murray clinches if he wins the tournament. While Djokovic clinches when he wins two of his three group stage matches and then win the title. 

Should Djokovic wins two Group stage matches and meet Murray in the finals, the final will be the decider then. 

This means both players have their fate in their own hands. 

Understanding Points table

Some important aspects of points distribution :- 

Although Murray came into the tournament with a 405 point lead. His lead will cut short to just 130 points as the 275 points he earned in the last year's Davis Cup finals will be dropped on Monday, November 28, when the year end Emirates ATP rankings are calculated. Reason for this points drop being, the points which a player earns stay on his ranking for 52 weeks and then is dropped. 

Barclays ATP World tour finals point system:- 

For each group stage win a player earns 200 Points.

A semi-final win means an additional 450 points, and the final win further adds 500 points. 

Andy Murray, who is in John McEnroe group, has won his first group stage match against Marin Cilic. 

Novak Djokovic, in Ivan Lendl group, also beat his first group stage rival Dominic Thiem.

Novak Djokovic in action against Milas Raonic on Day 3

Source : Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

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