Serving for the title, Murray is greeted by a huge roar of encouragement as he walks to the baseline. You sense that Djokovic isn’t finished yet, though. It’s rarely been his style to leave without a fight. But it’s 15-0 when Djokovic sends a shabby backhand long. An ace down the middle from Murray makes it 30-0.
The cheers become that bit more urgent. Murray nets a backhand to make it 30-15, though, before netting a forehand to make it 30-all. It’s never easy, is it? Thoughts drift back to the Wimbledon final in 2013. But Murray earns his first championship point, a volley forcing Djokovic to dab a strange lob well past the baseline. The roar is deafening.
What Murray would give for a first serve here. Before they can get down to business, though, the umpire has to tell everyone to turn the lights off their phones. Eventually Murray swings an ace down the middle. But it’s a let. So they go again. Djokovic cracks a forehand into the right corner and charges forward to stay alive with a smash. Another monstrous serve from Murray earns him a second championship point, though. Naturally, he nets a first serve. His first serve is weak. Djokovic dominates a short rally and wins it with a wonderful forehand, but then he drags a forehand wide.
Murray has a third championship point. Murray sends a first serve long. The tension is unbearable. The second serve is there to be hit, so Djokovic hits it. Unfortunately for him, brilliantly for Murray, his forehand flies wide and long! That’s it! Murray has won the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in his career and finishes the year as the world No1!
