Shanghai Masters 2012 Final Preview: Djokovic Vs Murray
Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is set to clash with Andy Murray in the final of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, October 14. Djokovic dispatched Berdych with characteristic ease in the semi-finals to set up the final clash.
While Djokovic has been the most impressive player of the tournament thus far, Murray has picked up his game when it mattered, as in the semi-final against Federer where he thrashed the Swiss ace in straights 6-4, 6-4. But through most of the journey to the final, Murray appeared to be a bystander and did not give us enough to judge his form by, batrring an error prone game with Stepanek, in the quarter-finals. Earlier, he got a bye and then a walkover before being involved in a one-sided match against Alexander Dolgopolov.
Murray is having a dream year. Having lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open final at the start of the year, the Scotsman had a heart-breaking loss to Federer at Wimbledon after dominating the match in the first two sets. But after his Olympic gold win against Federer at Wimbledon’s centre court, there has been no looking back. His victory over Djokovic in the US Open final made Murray Britain’s first male winner of a Grand slam singles title in three-quarters of a century.
With that Slam win, Murray appears to have turned the corner in terms of psychological toughness and his semi-final win over Federer provided more evidence of that. Perhaps, Murray will look back on his career one day and recognize the role Ivan Lendl played in turning it around for the better. The appointment of tennis legend Lendl as his coach has coincided with Murray’s golden run and the evidence is there for all to see with an Olympic Gold Medal and a US Open crown likely to be joined by many more glittering trophies in the coming years.
Murray will be aiming for his third consecutive title at the venue, on Sunday, and he will be up against a man who isn’t beaten until he himself decides so. Djokovic is arguably the toughest player to beat, on the circuit, and Sunday’s final is likely to be a hard-fought match, in keeping with the epic encounters between these players, in recent times.
Category: Tennis
About the Author (Author Profile)
Jinxatious is the Chief Editor of SportingAttitude.com
An avid writer, on an eclectic range of subjects, he brings to bear editorial experience garnered with a national newspaper in South-East Asia. He also has sportscasting experience, as a cricket commentator, and his passion for sport extends beyond Cricket, to Football, Tennis, and Olympic Sports.
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