King of tennis

To argue that Andy Murray was tired heading into the championship set-to of the ATP World Tour Finals yesterday would be an understatement. Not 24 hours had passed since he survived his second three-hours-plus affair of the tournament, and he braced for another mentally taxing encounter against long-time foil Novak Djokovic. Still, he was confident of his capacity to take his fifth consecutive title, not to mention consolidate his place atop the sport. Never mind that the player he needed to beat in order to do so had won in 16 of their last 19 meetings, the finals of the 2016 Australian and French Opens included.

Certainly, Murray had ample reason for his selfassurance. For one thing, his second half of the year was nothing like his first. Since hooking up with coach Ivan Lendl anew in June, he had been on a tear; he emerged victorious at Wimbledon and took the gold at the Rio Olympics, part of a remarkable 22- match win streak that he then went on to better with his marathon triumph the other day. Meanwhile, he knew Djokovic was headed in the opposite direction; early exits in the aforementioned events and a cacophony of injuries made the latter eminently vulnerable.

As things turned out, Murray was right. It took him a mere two sets through an hour and 42 minutes to overcome a tentative Djokovic, validating his status as the best of the best in tennis. There were challenges, sure, but he weathered them all, and, most importantly, while sporting a body language that highlighted Lendl’s positive impact. And so commanding was his performance that his opponent, who had hitherto spent two weeks short of two years as the acknowledged king of tennis, could not help but admit that he “definitely deserved to win.”

Moving forward, Murray’s task is clear: “I would like to try and stay” World Number One. It won’t be an easy one, what with Djokovic at least as motivated to regain the throne. On the other hand, he’s in prime position to extend his reign. He has long been the fittest on tour, and, with Lendl providing a steady hand and his immediate past successes fueling his poise, he figures to be ready to face the pressure. Time was when he beat himself up — and ultimately beat himself — with negativity. What a difference half a year makes.