Novak Djokovic has taken the first battle of the 2017 ATP World Tour season against Andy Murray, beating the Scot 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to defend his Qatar ExxonMobil Open title and knock off the World No. 1.
In an electrifying final, the Serbian captured his first title since July (Rogers Cup) and showed some of the fiery tennis that helped him dominate the first half of 2016. The 29 year old frequently encouraged the crowd to back him, lifting his arms and pumping his fist while staring into the stands.
His intense attitude was matched by his aggressive on-court play. Djokovic charged the net 35 times against Murray, winning almost 70 per cent of those points during the two-hour and 54-minute final. But the Scot displayed his own brand of competitive tennis, especially when Djokovic was trying to serve out the match during the second set.
The Serbian had three championship points while serving at 5-4 but Murray erased them all and won the next two games to even the match and force a deciding set. The Scot, as Djokovic had done earlier in the contest, raised his arms to invite the 7,000 fans to cheer for him.
Djokovic converted in the deciding set, though. He broke Murray to love for a 4-3 lead and served out the set, coming through on his fourth championship point.
The Djokovic win ends Murray's 28-match win streak, which dated back to September when he lost to Juan Martin del Potro in Davis Cup action and included five consecutive titles, including November's ATP Finals title, during which he beat Djokovic for the year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking.
