Andy Gator Chomps Again—Nathan’s Notice
By: Nathan M. Cuny
I’ve been waiting all week long to write this story! No. 4 Andy Murray defeated No.1 Novak Djokovic in the Dubai World Tennis Championship semifinals, 6-2, 7-5 on Friday. Now take one second to let that sink in. Murray’s victory and Djokovic’s loss spells many outcomes for both men. For Murray it was the sweet taste of revenge after his semifinal’s loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open. For Djokovic it means he won’t start 2012 with a 43 match winning streak with Murray breaking it at 10.
The match was nothing like their five set battle at the Australian Open with Murray defeating Djokovic in 1 hour and 22 minutes. Djokovic and Murray’s head-to-head record is now 7-5. In the first set Murray broke 4-2 and saved two break points taking the score to 5-2. Murray really shot with a strong arm on throughout the match scoring 85 percent of his overall points on serve—really dishing it out on the first set where he won 94 percent of his first service points.
Murray is now in his second ATP world tour final of the season, having won his first 2012 title at the Brisbane International. Murray felt superbly confident after his match saying, “I’ve had a lot of tough losses in my career. To come back from them hasn’t always been that easy. I think it’s big for me that after Australia this year I’ve come back and had a win like tonight. Hopefully that will set me up well for the year. Confidence in tennis and almost any individual sport is so important. A win like tonight will do that no harm; therefore, mentally I’m sure I’ll be stronger.”
Djokovic wasn’t as upset as might be expected. He really fought hard in the second set, gaining when Murray made several unforced errors, bringing him to an even 5-5 with Murray. At that point Djokovic was sure the tables would turn when Murray stopped chasing the board and started chasing victory. Djokovic made a mistake in the 12th game netting the ball with a forehand, giving Murray the taste of glory he long awaited. Following the match Djokovic said, “Andy played a great match. He was the better player today. He was serving really well. I made a lot of unforced errors when it was important. It’s been a great tournament here in Dubai. Look forward to Indian Wells, Miami, which are the next tournaments, next challenges. I think I have more than enough time to get ready for it.”
Andy Murray faces Roger Federer in the semifinals. After beating Mr. No.1 and with his current head-to-head against Federer being 8-6, you can bet Murray will be confident but not cocky during Saturday’s finals. Roger Federer is attempting to win the Dubai title for the fifth time and if he does, it will become his second title of the season. It’s been a little over one year since Andy Murray and Roger Federer have faced each other; their last battle took place at the 2010 ATP Barclays World Tour finals. Federer won in straight sets at the match, but Murray has undeniably grown into a better skilled player since then.
Topics: Andy Murray, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Novak Djokovic
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