By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 8, 2016
Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray for the 12th time in their last 13 matches, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to capture the Madrid Open title and his 29th Masters crown.
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open
Defending champion Andy Murray pushed Novak Djokovic to the very last stages of the final set. Djokovic answered the challenge with a defiant stand to seize Masters supremacy.
Denying seven of eight break points he faced in the final set, Djokovic dethroned Murray, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, to reclaim the Madrid Open title and collect his record 29th Masters championship.
More: Novak On Keys to Final
The top-seeded Serbian beat the second-seeded Scot for the 12th time in their last 13 meetings to take a 23-9 lead in their head-to-head series, but unlike some of the past blow-outs, this one was a battle.
"The match really could have gone either way, but we exchanged some breaks of serves early in the third," Djokovic said. "Then when it seemed like I was closing out the match and having a match point at 5-2, he came up with some big serves again. The last game obviously got myself out of some trouble with some good serves, with some good forehands, but was very, very close. Very close.
"Of course I did not want to let that service game go because I know that Andy will capitalize on his opportunities and start to play better if he broke my serve. So I fought. I fought very hard, and I'm just glad that I managed to finish that game."
The world No. 1 has won 10 of the last 14 Masters championships. Djokovic collected his 64th career titles tying him with a pair of Hall of Famers, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras, his childhood tennis hero.
"It's obviously very flattering to be alongside such legends of the sport, tennis players that I was looking up to, especially Pete Sampras," Djokovic said. "When I was growing up he was ruling the tennis world. To win as many titles as he did in his career, it's quite amazing. It's an achievement that I'm very proud of. It's a motivation more.
"When you get to this particular I would say phase of your career, you need to constantly look for more ways of inspiring and motivating yourself to keep going and aspire to new goals.That will definitely help my motivation."
The world's top two squared off a decade after their first professional meeting in Madrid when both were talented teenagers with high hopes for the future.
This rematch of the Australian Open final featured some plot twists and physical rallies. Djokovic broke serve for a 4-2 lead in the decider. Serving for his first Madrid championship since 2011, Djokovic withstood seven break points to finally subdue the world No 2.
"Obviously the last game I don't know how many break point chances I had, but must have been six or seven," Murray said afterward. "Both of us were pretty clinical on the break points up until the last game for me. That's why he's No. 1 just now. He fought very hard in that game and served well when he was a bit nervous. At the end he came up with some big serves and got himself some free points and did well."
Changing direction with a forehand down the line, Djokovic snapped a smash for double break point.
Shrewdly anticipating the angle of a Murray pass, Djokovic knocked off the volley breaking at 30 to open the final. Djokovic backed up the break at love.
The chasm between Djokovic and the rest of the ATP pack chasing him is so great, he not only took the court 7,500-point lead over Murray in the ATP rankings, he had won 31 of his last 32 sets against Top 10 opponents.
Oppressive court coverage, commanding the center of the court and the fact Djokovic just doesn't miss much make the task of taking a set from the world No. 1 immense.
Taking the first strike in most baseline rallies, Djokovic pushed the champion to the perimeters earning double break point. Stepping inside the baseline, he zapped an inside-out forehand breaking again for 4-1.
Down the line drives shredded openings on the salmon-colored clay and Djokovic's forward movement sealed the gaps. Following a forehand to net, he buried a backhand volley for triple set point.
Displacing Murray with the slider serve wide, Djokovic drilled a forehand winner closing a comprehensive 30-minute set winning 16 of 19 points played on his serve. Djokovic hit 11 winners compared to 3 for Murray, who served 73 percent, but was still broken twice.
Trying to pump himself up, Murray worked through a demanding deuce hold with a shout on serve at 2-1 in the second set.
Hitting crosscourt with more aggression and sharper angle, Murray gained double break point in the fourth game.
On his second break point, Murray crept in closer to confront a second serve. Perhaps hearing footsteps, Djokovic double faulted to donate the break. Empowered, Murray climbed out of 15-30 hole with some of his strongest serving of the day, holding for 4-1.
Murray mixed his serve more effectively in the second set and thumped his forehand with more vigor. The defending champion won 15 of 18 points played on his first serve in the second set, leveling the match after 70 minutes.
Recommitting to longer cross-court exchanges, Djokovic drained the errors to earn the first break of the decider.
Pounding the ball into the corners forcing Murray into a sliced reply, Djokovic drew ballooned forehand beyond the baseline as Djokovic thrust a fist toward the crowd breaking for 2-0. Murray broke back on a rash of double faults, but Djokovic clung to the baseline and broke back for a 4-2 lead.
Murray made Djokovic work to close it, but nothing could stop the top-seeded Serbian from closing a physical two hour, six-minute match.
Djokovic has won 33 of his last 35 sets against Top 10 opponents and now stands alone as the supreme Masters champion. No. 1 was simply too strong for No. 2.
"At the beginning of the match, like first couple of games, he hit a number of lines. I don't think as the match went on either of us were lucky or unlucky," Murray said. "We both created chances; some of it was our own doing. The game where I got broken at 3-2 I made a bunch of errors. The last game at 5-3 he made a number of unforced errors to give me the chance as well.
"So I don't think it came down to luck today. He was just a little bit more solid at the end of the match when he needed it."