OK the title of this post is a little misleading, the world finals is far from over yet, but unfortunately for one man it already is, and that one is the British number uno, Andy Murray, who regretfully withdrew from the tournament today due to a groin injury.
Andy already said that after his loss to David Ferrer that he had injured himself prior to coming into the event, a few days after the Paris Masters he pulled a groin muscle while training. And even when he reached the o2 and practised on the Sunday there, he still said he didn't feel good on court, so it was a bad omen for sure. In retrospect it seems to be a bit of a mistake for Andy to have aimed to finish as the World No.3 this year, as it looks like the hard work he put into that, especially during his success on the Asian swing of the tour, has been in vain. Because with Federer still going strong at the o2, who is also with a strong shout of getting to the semi finals, if he does get to that stage, he will reclaim his World No.3 ranking, and if he wins the title he will almost certainly get it back. So it feels like Andy once again has peaked at the wrong time of year, as he really did play some great tennis during the Asian leg of the tour, its a shame he didn't hold back a little and try and make sure he peaked at the right time.
Andy even admitted himself in the press conference after his announcement, that perhaps he should rethink his schedule for next year, and it would be a good idea to definitely prioritise around the big events and miss out on some of the smaller ones, so that way he will be in good shape for the year end championships next year. But he did make the right decision in withdrawing as he said himself that he still felt sore in the morning, and there is no way he could have gone out on court and taken on Tomas Berdych in that condition, it would have been a write off. Andy also wisely made the decision so it would allow him ample time to recover for next year, as he has already put his name forward for the Brisbane Open in Australia at the very beginning of next year (starts on New Year's day of all days!) and he will need that crucial time to get ready for Melbourne.
Soooo that is the end of Andy Murray's 2011 season, sadly it ended on a sour note, with a straight set loss, unlike last year where he played one of the best matches of his career despite losing to Rafa also at the o2. But overall he has had a great year and he has reached all four grand slam semi finals, and one final for that matter, won 5 titles, beaten Djokovic, beaten Rafa, not Federer however, as they never played each other this whole year, for once! And yes ok he still hasn't won that elusive major, but as 2011 has been Djokovic's year, just maybe 2012 could be Andy's year. But next year, you get the feeling that things have to happen for him, and it is crucial that he tries his absolute best to win in Melbourne for starters. However that's a bit off yet, for now, Andy, take heart in that you've had a great season, regardless of how its ended, and all the best to you for next year.
And just briefly an update on tonight's match between Roger and Rafa, which was another hugely anticipated showdown, but once again it didn't live up to its hype. So far to my knowledge this year, Roger hasn't beaten Rafa, but Roger drastically turned that around and made mince meat out of the Spaniard, by producing an exceptional display of tennis of the likes that heralds back to his glory days, crushing the World No.2 in 6-3, 6-0. Even I was surprised to see just how little Rafa got involved in this match as Roger ruthlessly dismissed virtually every shot he made, it wasn't that Rafa played bad, it was just the Swiss maestro was on absolute fire. In that regard I think Andy totally made the right decision to withdraw, as there is no way he could have lived with Federer in that mode, nor anyone else! So that is Roger safely through to the semi finals, and if I were Djokovic, I would be quaking in my tennis shoes by now, cos Roger means business!
But I have to say I do have a bone to pick regarding Federer, as he made a comment in the press about how Andy overtook him in the rankings, and depsite his impressive run in Asia, the only reason he won there was because he and Djokovic weren't playing there. Which basically is Roger's way of saying there is no way Murray would have beaten me if I was playing. This again really does bring up what I dislike about Roger Federer, that he can be an arrogant egotistical twat at times, and he can also be a sore loser when he loses out to some players too. Mind you after winning 16 grand slams I guess your ego inflates until its the size of a zeppelin, and then you almost look down upon everyone else. It doesn't take away from the fact that the man is a magnificently talented player, one of the all times greats without question. But when Federer makes comments like that, that's when I'd like to see Andy stick it to him, and it would be great to see him gub Federer sometime next year in a slam. Andy also wisely refused to rise to the comment as he simply said he doesn't pay much attention to stuff like that and he'll let the tennis do the talking (unfortunately though Andy as we know didn't get that far). Further to Federer's comment Andy also said "Well for Roger in Paris, I was injured, Rafa didn't play, Novak withdrew, and at the end of the day, you can only play against what's in front of you." Very well said. And that's the great thing about Andy Murray, he is reassuringly down to earth, and he doesn't have the arrogant ego of some other players (one of whom I just mentioned!).
Anyway more will follow on the remaining ATP World Tour Final matches, and with Andy now gone, Janko Tipsarevic takes his place, so again we have two Serbs in a big event, and yes they shall meet, and lets hope this match is another cracker, like the one they had at the US Open. One thing is for sure, that match is getting taped!
Aaaaaaand that's it for now.
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