Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic on clay for the first time to win the Italian Open title on Sunday in a match that Djokovic argued should have been stopped due to rain.
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Reflecting on how his training to move better on clay has paid dividends, he said: “The last couple of years, clay has probably been my most successful surface, which I never expected to be the case, but I’m not complaining about it”.
However, this was Murray’s day to celebrate one of his finest wins, which led to the third clay-court title of his career after victories in Munich and Madrid past year.
Their routes to the final couldn’t have been more different; Murray cruised through his rounds without dropping a set, while Djokovic had to negotiate a quarterfinal against clay king Rafael Nadal and a marathon semifinal against Japanese star Kei Nishikori.
Murray was wasteful when he had three chances to break in the second game, but drew first blood when his rival punched a backhand into the tramlines.
Djokovic said: “Well done, Andy”. The Scot saved three break points prior to breaking Djokovic for a 3-2 lead in the second set.
Williams, who looks in fine form for the defence of her French Open title which begins next weekend, overpowered her Romanian opponent 6-4 6-1.
It was enough of an advantage to hold on to as Murray was gifted a double fault on match point with an wonderful victor on match point to win his first Rome title (Via ATPWorld Tour YouTube). I didn’t lose a set.
Obviously he comes in with two titles [this season] but Djokovic comes in with pressure because he needs to win the French Open to become one of the greatest of all time.
“I don’t remember winning any matches on my birthday, which isn’t a great sign”, Murray said.
Murray’s serve was the bedrock of his win, and he hit his forehand with huge power to run Djokovic to all corners of the court and seized his opportunities when they came.
“I threw a racket, it bounced over the fence and I got a warning instantly”. The Spaniard thinks his latest loss to the world’s no. 1 has given him more reasons to believe that he has closed the gap between him and Djokovic just in time for Roland Garros.
When asked if the win gave him the confidence to dominate on all surfaces, Murray added: “Dominant – I don’t know if that’s the right word”.
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After the final, Williams tipped her American compatriot to succeed her as world number one.
