The only logical final before the ATP World Tour Finals was the the showdown between Murray and Djokovic and before the semi-finals it seemed like the stars were still aligned for it with Murray playing Raonic and Djokovic vs Nishikori. But Milos Raonic was so close, so close in beating Andy Murray and should really deserve lots of praise for making that match into a real thriller. It became the longest three-setter in the tournament’s history, lasting 3h 38m and ended 5-7 7-6 7-6 in Murray’s favour. The scot has almost played ten hours of tennis in London and will likely be tired for today’s final, but let’s hope he can make a decent match out of it.
The opponent he’s facing has played approximately three hours less tennis and he didn’t have to waste much time in the semi-finals when he ran over a deflated Nishikori with a double-breadstick scoreline: 6-1 6-1 in Djokovic’s favour.
This means we do have the final we have all waited for. The man who wins becomes the number one player in the world. I can’t help to think Murray deserves it the most after his unbelievable win streak, but Djokovic will be determined and has played increasingly better with every match at the ATP World Tour Finals. Djokovic is for sure the favourite, but there is a slight hope for Murray if he can find that extra confidence that he has built up of late.
I would say Djokovic’s chances are 70-30 just based on the energy levels they will bring to the court. But it’s home court advantage to Murray which will make it an interesting encounter.
My prediction, however, will be that Djokovic takes home the title for a record time and becomes the world number one player in the rankings again.
