Sorry couldn't resist the pun!
So Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray yet again (for the second time) in the 2013 Australian Open Finals at Melbourne. Andy Murray's form in the season opener was fearsome- not a set dropped, and all matched under 3.5 hours. No gruelling five-setters for Andy this year which prompted me to change my thoughts on Murray being the 'slogger' in all his matches. As opposed to this, Djokovic had to negotiate some tricky matches-the punishing five setter, five hour match with Stanislas Wawrinka and Radek Stepanek. Stepanek is a tricky player to face. He plays a lot of doubles matches and doesn't hesitate to abandon the baseline in the favour of the net. Stepanek rushed to the net as many as 67 times and changed the baseline dominated rules of the game against his match with Djokovic. If I remember right then he also skimmed a set off Djokovic in the 2012 Wimbledon. Not bad for the 33 year old Czech. As for Stanislas, well he is Stanislas and I admire his game. He has a single fisted backhand to die for- unleashing huge power with his top-spin backhand and extreme accuracy that would put precision bomber to shame.
Anyways not digressing!
So Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray yet again (for the second time) in the 2013 Australian Open Finals at Melbourne. Andy Murray's form in the season opener was fearsome- not a set dropped, and all matched under 3.5 hours. No gruelling five-setters for Andy this year which prompted me to change my thoughts on Murray being the 'slogger' in all his matches. As opposed to this, Djokovic had to negotiate some tricky matches-the punishing five setter, five hour match with Stanislas Wawrinka and Radek Stepanek. Stepanek is a tricky player to face. He plays a lot of doubles matches and doesn't hesitate to abandon the baseline in the favour of the net. Stepanek rushed to the net as many as 67 times and changed the baseline dominated rules of the game against his match with Djokovic. If I remember right then he also skimmed a set off Djokovic in the 2012 Wimbledon. Not bad for the 33 year old Czech. As for Stanislas, well he is Stanislas and I admire his game. He has a single fisted backhand to die for- unleashing huge power with his top-spin backhand and extreme accuracy that would put precision bomber to shame.
Anyways not digressing!
The point being that Nole had to go through the grind but came out tops after each of his matches and who could forget Berdych the Brazen! I can never trust the top four to win comfortably against him. His gaze doesnt betray the butterflies (I am sure he must be feeling in his stomach) his cold, unnerving gaze reminds me of Ivan Lendl. Do check this out! But there he was, our Nole, disarming the advantage of the Berdych length and the breadth and winning in straight sets. The 2013 AO final was supposed to be tennis at its youngst best and finally out of the shadows of Federer. The 'pain game' that Murray called it and Murray was prepared to suffer. "I 'll be ready for the pain," he added about the final," and I hope its a painful match. That means it'll be a good one." The pain was there alright, but in its glaring absence! It was really an anti-climax. There were no cliff-hanger moments, no drama which means that Nole was on top and rightly as predicted by the experts, Djokovic wrapped the AO final in 4 sets, in 3 hours and 23 minutes as opposed to 4 hours and 5 minutes and the slimmest margins last year.
This year, Murray's crowning moment came in the semi-finals against Federer where he wrong-footed the elegant Swiss in a 5 setter that proved that the Scot was finally playing like he owned the court and not merely as a contender. There was no self-doubt there. He was playing flawlessly,alas Nole was the Serbian Superman here!
