However, Murray did with some really good tennis in the second set. He missed some break point opportunities at 3-2, then surrendered the break and everything seemed gloomy. Then he broke back again to level the match at 4-4. But Djokovic’s confidence is soaring these days and seems almost impossible to shake him. That’s why the match felt over when he secured the 2nd set 7-5. Two sets down against the World number one is a virtual Mount Everest to climb, but despite going down a break in the third set, Murray never stopped fighting. He broke back and managed to get himself into a tie-break. Sadly, he couldn’t find the confidence and the focus and lost the tie-break 3-7 after two double-faults.
In retrospect, I think two things spelled out “downfall” for Murray in this match:
- His weak second serve.
- His forehand down the line.
He could never get comfortable to attack with his forehand and no one will win against Djokovic from the back of the court these days. The times Murray tried to take the ball earlier and attack the net, he was rather successful, but he simply lacked the confidence to do it consistently.
What does this victory mean for Djokovic? I think his main goal this season is to win the French Open, and if he does that, it’s possible he can be a contender for all four slams. In this form it doesn’t seem like Nadal’s 14 grand slam titles is far away.
The big question right now is, who is going to stop him this year? It seems like it might take a miracle. But then again, the French Open is known to be a jinx for him and that’s when we will see if this will be a record-breaking year or another near miss.
2 comments
It’s his 6th title!
You are right! Will amend. Thanks.