Andy Murray's remarkable 28-match win streak ended on Saturday when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final. But the Scot said he's still feeling positive about his start to the 2017 ATP World Tour season. “Obviously disappointed not to win tonight, but I played pretty good the last couple of the matches. I think physically it was a good test to start the year, and I did good there,” Murray said. “My body feels all right just now, so that's positive.” Murray hadn't dropped a set until facing Djokovic in the final. The Scot had rolled through Jeremy Chardy, Gerald Melzer, Nicolas Almagro and third seed Tomas Berdych to extend his match-win streak to 28. The...
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are starting 2017 right where they left off in 2016. On Saturday, the two will play for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title, the first singles crown to be decided during the young 2017 ATP World Tour season. “It's a great test tomorrow. To start the year, it's great to play against one of the best in the world,” Murray said. “We know each other's games better than we know anyone else's.” Murray advanced to the title match by beating third seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-4 on Friday evening. The Scot extended two streaks with the one-hour and 41-minute victory. Murray pushed his overall winning streak to 28. He also beat Berdych for the seventh consecutive...
Has the return overtaken the serve as the most dominant shot in tennis? Andy Murray’s 2016 ascension to year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings followed the recent blueprint that supremacy in returning, not serving, helps elevate you to the top of the mountain in the modern game. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of year-end No. 1 players clearly shows that the recent superpower in our sport is the return of serve. In 2016, Murray had the second best ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS Return Rating, powered by the Infosys Information Platform, of any year-end No. 1 during the past 26 years, since 1991. On the serving side of the equation, Murray wasn't even in the same ballpark, dropping...
World No. 1 Andy Murray continued his winning ways with a 7-6(4), 7-5 victory over Nicolas Almagro Thursday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The Scot’s win streak extended to 27 as he fought past the Spaniard and tricky conditions in two hours and nine minutes. In the semi-finals, Murray will face third seed Tomas Berdych, who saved all seven break points faced to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-5, 6-3. “It was obviously very windy and it was blowing across the court a lot. That makes timing pretty difficult,” said Murray. “It was hard for everyone today.” Berdych was pleased with how he adjusted his game to the conditions. “Try to play a little differently and little bit more smart,” he said....