ATP Tour Finals win caps incredible year for Britain’s world number one
We lauded him as Britain’s greatest ever tennis player a while back, but now we also have to regard him as one of our greatest sportsmen of all time. 2016 saw Andy Murray reclaim the Wimbledon title, retain his Olympic title and finish the year in the coveted No.1 spot in the world rankings. Not only that, Murray signs off the year on an amazing 24 match, 5 tournament winning streak. From early October to year-end, he’s been literally unbeatable.
The stats are amazing. Murray has played 87 singles matches, winning 78 of them (89.66% win ratio). Reached 13 Tour finals, 9 of them won. Reached 3 Grand Slam finals. Reached 7 consecutive tournament finals, won 5 consecutive tournament titles, achieving 16 match wins against top-10 opponents. Murray’s earnings for the year topped a cool $13m.
The year ended with the traditional ATP Tour Finals at the London O2 Arena, with the world number one spot up for grabs between Murray and his eternal nemesis, Novak Djokovic. The tournament provided the perfect ending for Murray, with his 5th straight tournament win, defeating Djokovic in the final 6-3, 6-4.
The final was, by the standards of many of their previous encounters, perhaps not as challenging as Murray may have feared. Murray’s herculean efforts leading up to the O2 must have drained him, but once again, his phenomenal physical conditioning ensured there was enough left in the tank to defeat a slightly distracted-looking Djokovic, who, by definition, was of course still a tough opponent on Sunday, but not quite at the top of his game.
After a difficult year at times, Djokovic seemed to be getting rapidly back to something like his best during the ATP tournament, but it wasn’t enough. Murray’s form and achievements were surely writ large in Djokovic’s mind, perhaps this time the mental game may have been won by Murray before the final started – put it this way, there are not many players who wouldn’t have looked at Murray beforehand and not thought they’d have to produce a ten-out-of-ten performance to prevail.
Djokovic once again proved his class and humility with some generous tributes and congratulations post-match, typical of such a highly-respected sportsman whose rivalry with Murray goes back nearly 20 years, competing as Juniors back in the day.
Interestingly, Murray is the oldest man to top the singles rankings, at 29 years and 5 months, since Andre Agassi in 2003 who was 33 years and 13 days. It’s not that long ago that sportsmen fast approaching their thirties were deemed close to being past their best. But in these hi-tech days of sports science, expert nutrition, fitness and conditioning coaches and crucially, the ultra-professional, disciplined lifestyles of athletes like Murray, age is increasingly becoming just a number.
One major, crucial factor in Murray’s brilliant run of success cannot be overlooked. Who rejoined the Murray camp, just two weeks before Wimbledon? Ivan Lendl. The Coach’s influence and effectiveness cannot be overstated. They clearly gel brilliantly. As imaginative and interesting Murray’s choice of Amélie Mauresmo as Coach was in 2014, Lendl has guided Murray to 3 grand slam titles and 2 Olympic golds – an astonishing success ratio considering Lendl has been Murray’s Coach for a total of only 3 years to date.
But is the public perception of Murray – from some quarters at least – still the elephant in the room? That’s not to suggest he isn’t fully appreciated and admired by millions of people – he clearly is. But there are those who still find him dour, grumpy, and a bit miserable. But these things are based on perception from a distance – watching him play tennis and being interviewed afterwards. Most of us never get to see Murray off duty, where he is consistently described by those who know him as a warm, interesting and funny guy. As a competitor and a sportsman, Murray is clearly held in high regard by his fellow professionals, something that I suspect means far more to him than any public popularity contest – although the fact that Murray already has two BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards and looks nailed-on for a third, contradicts the perception of significant unpopularity anyway.
But this is no time to dwell on anything remotely negative – perceived or otherwise – at such a moment for Dunblane’s finest. How on earth can the British sporting public ever thank Judy & Willie Murray enough? As Andy sits top of the pile in singles, brother Jamie does likewise in doubles, with his partner Bruno Soares – incredible. As formidable sporting families go, can anyone top the Murray’s right now? (I hear a shout from the Brownlee family…another Blog for another day).
The way 2016 has finished has made every tennis fan eagerly anticipate the 2017 season. Murray leads the way now. The gauntlet is down – come on Novak, Rafa, Milos, Stan, Kei, Roger et al – catch me if you can. It should be fascinating. After the final on Sunday, Djokovic tweeted: “Congratulations @andy_murray – well deserved! I am really happy to be in the same era as you”. I can safely say that probably goes for tennis fans everywhere.
By Chris Tribe
23rd November 2016
Photo credit: Tatiana Kulitat/Wikimedia Commons
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