Novak Djokovic bt Andy Murray, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
This is Novak Djokovic’s 29th Masters title- he now surpasses Rafael Nadal on the list of all time highest titles.
And he’s done it! Novak Djokovic wins the Mutua Madrid Open 2016 in three sets over World No. 2 Andy Murray.
Murray will now lose his World No. 2 title to GOAT Roger Federer.
They’re really taking the final set seriously... all Djokovic needs to do is hold serve to win the tournament and his 29th Masters title, one he’ll want badly to add to his cabinet ahead of the French Open!
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But it’s not over yet! It's break point Andy Murray to stay in the match and retain the World No. 2 ranking!
Wow, that was close. 5-2 to Novak Djokovic and it was looking like break point and match point for the Serb, but Murray staves off the World No 1....for now. Now 5-3 Novak Djokovic in the final set.
And just like that, Andy Murray has lost his momentum. Djokovic leads him 5-2 in the final set, and Murray is now on serve to stave off a loss in this game. 5-2 and it’s game point Murray.
Novak Djokovic still leads the third set 3-2, but that’s with Murray having broken him back. Still an abnormally large unforced error count from Djokovic, who played a relatively clean first set, with Andy Murray’s game starting out error stricken.
Set 3: Novak Djokovic leads 2-0
Backs to the wall, Djokovic is still the favourite to win this. He’s served to hold 1-0 and then breaks Murray quite quickly. The Serb looked a bit listless in the second set, and Murray’s bringing out the drop shots again and again. This time, it doesn’t pay off for him. Two break points...and it’s game Djokovic.
Murray’s quite fond of the drop shot today. He’s managed 9 winners to Djokovic’s 4 in the second set; still a number of unforced errors, but Djokovic outscores him there, surprisingly, with 11 to the Scot’s 8.
SECOND SET to Andy Murray 6-3
A superlative comeback from reigning Madrid champion Andy Murray. After dropping the first set quite tamely, it appears he’s throwing everything and the kitchen sink at Novak Djokovic in the second. He WINS!
Murray takes a 5-2 lead but Djokovic is reining it in right now after a number of unforced errors. Murray leads 5-3 in the second set, though, and now will look to hold serve to take this to a decider!
And Murray is a fighter and a half. 4-1 in the second set..and Djokovic has finally held for Murray to lead 4-2, now.
Did that just happen? After blazing through set 1, Novak Djokovic is looking ever so slightly shaky...and Murray picks right up on that to break him! Double fault – and Andy Murray leads 3-1
Murray starts off the second set fine, and each player holds to go 1-1. But then Murray, on the verge of holding for 2-1, falters to nearly drop that game before just managing to hold on. 2-1 Andy Murray.
And just like that, Djokovic takes three game points to hold his own serve. 40-0 and 1-1 to the Serb, who closes that out with a great drop shot.
SECOND SET now underway, with Murray serving. He holds serve to lead 1-0.
The previous set is one he’ll want to forget. He hit 3 winners and committed a glaring 8 unforced errors, while Djokovic hit 11 winners and committed only 4 unforced errors. A largely flawless game from the Serb today sees him appearing to wrap up things fairly quickly..
FIRST SET Novak Djokovic, 6-2.
Murray holds – and it’s now 5-2...but not for long! Novak Djokovic closes out that set in clinical fashion.
It’s looking a bit bleak for Andy Murray at the moment...Djokovic, who was up one break of serve, is now up two breaks. He’s now at 5-1 up on the Scot and playing an absolutely flawless game.
Djokovic holds now to go 2-0. Murray manages the next game to go 2-1, but Djokovic is up a break and the mental pressure is on.
And they’re off! It’s Murrya to serve – and he takes the first game quickly. 1-0 Djokovic, who’s up a break.
And some more statistics to show you just how unstoppable Novak Djokovic has been – of the last 32 sets he has played against the top 10 player, the Serb has won 31.
Out on court… and although Murray may be reigning champion here, Djokovic has the definite upper hand. The pair have played each other 31 times in the past – and the Serb has won 22 of those matches. Murray is yet to defeat Djokovic on clay the three times they have played each other on that surface.
We’re halfway through the 2016 clay court season, one that King of Clay Rafael Nadal began in convincing fashion, sweeping titles across the board. That saw many declare 2016 as the Spaniard’s comeback year, and after a disappointing 2015 and a slow start to 2016 saw Nadal in a shock first-round ouster from the Australian Open – his earliest ever Grand Slam exit – it’s a title Nadal will have wanted.
He took his 9th title at the Barcelona Open and the Monte Carlo Masters before it, and had a fair run in the Mutua Madrid Open currently underway – until he saw his juggernaut halted by World No. 2 Andy Murray.
Murray and Nadal faced off at this very tournament in 2015, albeit in the finals, with the Scot taking a shock victory over the Spaniard on his home grounds and his pet surface.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has been quite strong himself. After having sat out one clay court tournament and being involved in a shock upset in another, the World No. 1, who has not looked weak on any surface at all, will look to build up momentum ahead of the Rome Masters and then, the Grand Slam that will perhaps sting the most.
It would be unfair to describe the Serb as ‘weak’ on clay – he has a number of clay court titles – but it is the orange courts of Roland Garros that elude him.
Djokovic has won nearly every title there is in the game – but only one eludes him, and that is the Coupe de Mousquetaires. He has reached the final on 3 occasions – most recently in 2015, but lost then to Swiss ace Stan Wawrinka, who was then in a brilliant run of form and has shown an ease on clay courts.
Wawrinka crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after a straight sets loss to nemesis Nick Kyrgios, despite taking the mouthy Australian youngster to break point a number of times in each set and having the upper hand in terms of both skill and experience.
The other two times Djokovic lost the finals of the French Open, each of those losses was to Rafael Nadal.
The Serbian ace has won the Madrid Open title once before – in 2011 – incidentally, beating Nadal. Murray is reigning champion in Madrid, however.
Winning the title today will be essential for Novak Djokovic not in terms of his ranking but psychologically, to build up a rhythm before the French Open. Given his form over the past two years and the significant upswing it has seen in 2015, it would not be remiss to say that Djokovic could, and will likely sweep a calendar slam this year if he is able to overcome his French Open jinx.
Some other interesting statistics – after Nadal won his title in Monte Carlo, he tied Novak Djokovic for 28 Masters titles, the all-time highest. If Djokovic wins, that will put him top with 29.
Meanwhile, Murray has more serious things at stake. He has been World No. 2 a while, but a loss today will put him back into 3rd spot with Roger Federer moving back into 2nd.
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