After a grueling season, for Murray and Djokovic it will all come down to one last match at the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals to decide the year end #1 player.
Andy Murray had to survive the best that Milos Raonic could offer in their Saturday semifinal. The Canadian was highly motivated to knock off the current world #1, but succumbed in a third set tiebreak when the pressure was on. Both players came off with some tremendous shots, and the match likely took a bit of energy out of Murray.
Novak Djokovic had no such stress on Saturday as he eased past a disenchanted Kei Nishikori 6-1 6-1. Nishikori got off to a poor start and never showed much desire to get back in the match, while Djokovic is 4-0 these World Tour Finals and looks to be a man on a mission to retake the #1 ranking.
For his part, Murray has won 24 straight matches, after adding the Wimbledon title and the Olympic gold to his trophy case this year. At 29, he’s finally the world #1 in large part due to his three Masters 1000 level titles this year. The British #1 also has won titles on all surfaces on the ATP tour, clay, hard, grass, and indoor hard.
Djokovic was dominant early in the season, winning the first 2 grand slam tournaments, the Australian Open and the French Open along with four Masters titles prior to the US Open. He slumped this fall though, and allowed Murray to sneak in and grab the world #1 ranking.
Djokovic is 3-1 in their four meetings this season, and with Murray having the tougher semifinal, he’s probably an underdog going into this match.
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