World number one Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) on Sunday to win his second straight ATP Miami Masters title and third overall. Djokovic, who won here for the first time in 2007, became just the third man to win the title three or more times, along with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
For his third straight match, Djokovic cruised through the first set before finding himself in a tense tussle in the second. However, even though the second set went with serve until the tie-breaker, it was Murray who was under pressure most, fighting off break points in three of his service games. “I thought I played a great match from start to end,” said Djokovic, who didn’t drop a set in the tournament. “There was a couple of service games I had a chance to break him in the second set. He’s such a quality player, you never know. “That’s why he’s right at the top — he always comes back, even if you feel you have control of the match,” Djokovic said. “I’m really happy to close it out in straight sets.”
Djokovic, 24, captured his 30th ATP title, and his second this year after his triumph at the Australian Open. It marked his 11th victory in the ATP’s elite Masters 1000 series. Murray had beaten Djokovic in the semi-finals at Dubai in February, and the Serb was then upset by American John Isner in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters last week.
Djokovic said that made this win, which made him the first man since Roger Federer in 2006 to successfully defend the Miami crown, all the sweeter. “I had a great tournament after that tough loss in the semi-finals at Indian Wells,” said Djokovic, adding he recalled his 2007 triumph in Miami as a springboard to his current success. Murray, who beat Djokovic in the 2009 Miami final, was playing his first match since Wednesday, when he downed Janko Tipsarevic in the quarter-finals. He advanced to the title match on a walkover when world number two Rafael Nadal withdrew before their semi-final with a left knee injury.
Oddly, that was Murray’s second walkover of the tournament, after Canadian Milos Raonic pulled out of their scheduled third-round clash with an ankle injury. Whether it was the layoff or not, Murray wasn’t at his sharpest, his 39 unforced errors making things easier for Djokovic. His only break chance in the entire two hour, seven minute encounter came in the fifth game of the first set, but he was unable to convert it and stem Djokovic’s momentum.
Miami win buoys Djokovic for claycourt campaign
Novak Djokovic’s third Miami Masters title on Sunday had the world number one looking back fondly on his Florida triumphs, but more importantly looking ahead — to the clay court season and beyond. “Any title is big, and it means a lot,” Djokovic said after beating Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) in the final at Key Biscayne. “Such a big tournament that is considered one of the biggest in our sport. “I won three times here. I think that says enough about how I feel playing in Miami.” Djokovic, who won his first Miami title in 2007 and beat Rafael Nadal in the final last year, said the successful title defence was a boost heading into the Monte Carlo Masters. He didn’t drop a set in Miami, closing out his quarter-final, semi-final and final opponents with second-set tiebreakers to preserve that record. “This is going to be very encouraging for me prior to the clay court season,” said Djokovic. If he can claim clay’s biggest prize, the French Open, he would hold all for major titles at once. First, however, he’ll tackle the Monte Carlo Masters. “I didn’t play it last year,” said Djokovic, who won Masters titles on clay at Madrid and Rome last year but fell in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. “I look forward to it. I want to start well. I want to start strong. “Clay demands the most physical effort out of all surfaces. You have to be physically very fit. Your endurance has to be on a very high level, because all the long rallies that you play on hard courts, it’s double that on clay.” While Djokovic hasn’t matched the astonishing 43-match winning run he put together in the first half of 2011, he has earned one Grand Slam title this year at the Australian Open.
