Novak Djokovic underlined the growing clay-court threat of Andy Murray barely a fortnight from the French Open after conceding defeat to the British number one in the final of the Rome Masters. Murray held all nine of his service games while fighting off three break points in the process to get the job done after one hour and 35 minutes.
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Top seed Novak Djokovic had to fight all the way to beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-4, 7-6, in the semi-final of the Italian Open on Saturday. I’m glad I managed to get to the final, because in a couple of matches I’ve had to come back from one-set deficits.
“I’m not taking anything away from Andy’s win”.
Even though Williams looked a little rusty at times and was not quite at her best, she still took control in the second set to wrap up victory after one hour and 24 minutes.
In a fractious match, it was Murray who kept his cool while Djokovic uncharacteristically lost his.
Murray’s victory is guaranteed to provide a welcome mental boost and comes less than a week after his split with French tennis coach Amelie Mauresmo.
“I knew it would be an uphill ride”, said Djokovic.
The match, which lasted one hour and 35 minutes in light rain, was ordered to continue by the umpire after Djokovic reportedly indicated the playing surface was becoming too risky.
Djokovic upped the momentum at a key moment in the second set, forcing a decider with a break on his first set point in the 10th game.
Britain’s Andy Murray has been rewarded for his landmark win at the Rome Masters with a rankings boost that will ensure he is seeded second for next week’s French Open.
Murray’s Italian Open win has not led to any changes in the 2016 French Open betting market with Ladbrokes and Djokovic ($1.73) remains a clear favourite from Rafael Nadal ($5), Murray ($6) with last year’s victor Stan Wawrinka ($15). “My confidence level is high because of the many matches that I have won this year on this surface and all other surfaces, so I don’t feel I’m doubtful or shaken up by this loss”. “Any time you beat the best player in the world, it’s a big win”.
Meanwhile, three-time champion Serena Williams said she can’t wait after setting up the first all-American women’s claycourt final in 14 years.
Clay is not my most natural surface but because of the wins Ive had on it in the last few years, I believe that I can compete with the best players on this surface now, he said.
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Murray punctured Novak Djokovic’s air of dominance by beating the out-of-sorts Serb in straight sets in the final.
