Right, so the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals has now come to a close as the final last night saw the two best players on the planet, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic battle it out for the right to be the World No.1. So let's review how the match went!
THE FINAL
Well this match had so much riding on it as we all know as both men were competing to claim the year end No.1 ranking with Andy out in front as the current No.1 going into this match and Novak looking to reclaim the top spot.
So the match promised to be deliver much although it had to be said there were concerns over Andy's fitness going into the match as he had to endure a brutal battle of wills against the big serving Canadian, Milos Raonic, who pushed Andy right to the limit in a three set classic just the day before that lasted 3 hours and 38 minutes. Novak in start contrast had only spent just over an hour on court in his dismantling of Kei Nishikori as he conceded only two games in all before he booked his place in the final. So fitness wise it looked very much like a Nole victory might have been on the cards.
However...the match turned out to be something of a real surprise as it was Andy that got off to a strong start after a tight start when it came to 4-3 and with Novak serving to level 4-4, Andy finally broke Nole's serve and went on to take the 1st set. In the 2nd set, Novak started to look worse for wear as his game started to come apart and Andy ramped it up several notches and broke his old rival twice to take a 4-1 lead. However Andy then was broken by Novak who was briefly given a fresh lease of life and he reduced the deficit to a single break.
And with Andy serving for the title at 5-4, Novak pushed Andy hard one last time in a game that was slightly reminiscent of that tortourous Wimbledon final game (although not quite as bad) as Andy was forced to duece a couple of times. However in the end, Andy hung tough and soon brought up a third championship point, which he converted and with it he sealed his place as the year end World No.1 by defeating Novak in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 and claiming the ATP World Tour Finals trophy.
THOUGHTS
Well I have to admit this was certainly not the result I would have predicted as I was convinced myself that Novak would have won given that he was the fresher of the two men going into this match and he appeared to have regrouped and found his form again. However Novak did have the cushier draw in the championship and this may have left him being not tested as much as Andy.
Not only that Novak had not played Andy since the French Open final and he suffered a downward spiral after that victory and since then Andy has become a much better player, who was also on a career best 23 match winning streak going into this final. So on the face it, it was Andy that went into this match in the stronger position given his winning streak and string of titles that had eluded Novak, who had failed to win a singles title since the Toronto Masters back in August. And the fact that Andy was able to come through this match in such a stunning and incredible fashion is just testament to how great a player he has become and it was almost like the Raonic match had never even taken place!
As for Novak it ended not quite the way he would have liked but he still managed to reach the final of the event all the same and the first half of his year was nothing short of sensational given the success he had at the Australian and French Open events. Ultimately the emotional toll it had on Novak to win the French was what really hurt him for several months after and it took him alot of time before he could re-energise himself again. So even though he lost to the better player in Andy, Novak still has alot of signs for encouragement going into next year and given the player he is, its fair to say that he might yet reclaim the top spot.
As for Andy, well this has been a stunning year for him and undoubtedly the best season of his career by far having won 9 titles (a career best for Andy in a single season) that included the Wimbledon title and the Olympic gold medal, as well as three Masters titles and of course the ATP World Tour Finals trophy. And its a year that has seen Andy once again really prove one of his greatest strengths lies in proving everyone wrong and I have to even admit myself I didn't think he would ever get to No.1 but it he sure has now.
I also think its safe to say that Andy can certainly go onto remain as the World No.1 and build on his growing legend in 2017 where his first challenge will be to win that elusive Australian open title where Andy has been a runner-up five times to his good friend, Novak Djokovic (well four to Nole, one to Roger Federer).
And given the form that Andy has shown I think its a fair bet that he can go on to win the title in Melbourne next year and if he does then it is sure to be another stepping stone leading towards him becoming one of the all time great players in the game. And for my money, right now I think Andy already is in that bracket with 44 career titles overall and now the World No.1 ranking, he has joined the greats and finally has earned his place among the "Big Four" of his generation.
SINGING OFF AND DAVIS CUP PREVIEW
And so that's it for now as the ATP tour season has come to an end for another year and what an incredible year its been as there have been so many great matches, in fact I will be doing a post soon covering my favourite matches of the season within the next week or so.
The only thing that remains now this season is the Davis cup final between Argentina (who knocked out the defending champs, Great Britain) and Croatia. The tie will be held in Zagreb in Croatia this Friday coming until Sunday and in the singles, both teams will be lead by the former US Open champions, Marin Cilic (for Croatia) and Juan Martin Del Potro (for Argentina) and no doubt it should promise to be a great one and I will probably do a post on that once the final has been decided.
So that's it for now and all that remains for me to say is a big well done to Andy Murray for capping off a terrific season with the best possible result in being crowned the year-end World No.1.
And until the next un its bye for now!
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