No. 4 Andy Murray looks to become the first three-time winner on the ATP World Tour this year as he faces No. 3 Novak Djokovic (pictured) in Sunday’s Sony Ericsson Open championship. Murray is the first British player to reach the final in the tournament’s 25-year history while Djokovic is trying to capture the title for the second time in three years. He is also looking to become only the fifth player to win the Sony Ericsson Open title at least two times. This is the seventh time the pair of 21-year-olds (Murray older by one week) are meeting in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Djokovic owns a 4-2 record but Murray has won the past two meetings.
WHAT’S AT STAKE –
Winner: $605,500 and 1000 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points
Runner-up: $295,500 and 600 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points
FINALS HISTORY –
Murray: Appearing in his 17th ATP World Tour level final……………….He is 10-6 in finals
Appearing in his 4th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final………He is 2-1 in finals
Djokovic: Appearing in his 19th ATP World Tour level final………..………He is 12-6 in finals
Appearing in his 7th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final..……..He is 4-2 in finals
2009 ATP WORLD TOUR MATCH WINS LEADERS – Murray and Djokovic are among the Top 5 match wins leaders on the ATP World Tour this season. Here are the match wins leaders going into the final:
W-L Titles
1) Andy Roddick 26-5 1
2) Andy Murray 25-2 2
3) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 25-5 2
4) Rafael Nadal 24-3 2
5) Novak Djokovic 22-7 1
SONY ERICSSON OPEN TITLE LEADERS – Djokovic is trying to become the fifth player in tournament history to win at least two titles:
No. Years
Andre Agassi 6 1990, ’95-96, 2001-03
Pete Sampras 3 1993-94, 2000
Roger Federer 2 2005-06
Ivan Lendl 2 1986, ’89
CLOSER TO NO. 3 – Murray came into the tournament 570 points behind No. 3 Djokovic in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings. IF Murray wins the title, he will move within 170 points of Djokovic going into the European clay court circuit. Murray has an excellent chance of moving to No. 3 in the next two months. Murray is dropping 520 points between Monte Carlo and Roland Garros while Djokovic is losing 2,800 points in the same span.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH-UPS –
(4) Andy Murray (GBR) vs (3) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Djokovic Leads 4-2
06 ATP Masters Series Madrid (Spain) Hard R16 Novak Djokovic 1-6 7-5 6-3
07 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3
07 ATP Masters Series Miami (U.S.A.) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-0
08 ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo Clay R16 Novak Djokovic 6-0 6-4
08 ATP Masters Series Toronto(Canada)Hard QF Andy Murray 6-3 7-6(3)
08 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati Hard F Andy Murray 7-6(4)7-6(5)
MURRAY FASTFACTS
Tournament Highlights:
· The 21-year-old Scot is the first British player to reach the final in the tournament’s 25-year history…
Enters with a 9-3 career record
· His previous best result was the semi-finals two years ago when lost to eventual champion Djokovic 61 60 in 63 minutes
· Since losing the first set in his opening round (after a bye) win over Juan Monaco (46 63 62), has won 10 of the next 11 sets…Followed with convincing victories over Nicolas Massu (64 64), Viktor Troicki (61 60), No. 8 seed Fernando Verdasco (61 62) and No. 6 seed Juan Martin del Potro (61 57 62)
· Has held serve 44 of 53 games (83%), saving 21 of 30 break points while converting 25 of 46 break points (54%)…Has broken opponents the most (25) in the tournament
· Made his debut in 2006 and lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in three sets in the first round…Last year fell in three sets to Mario Ancic in his opening round match (after a bye)
2009 Highlights:
W: Doha (d Roddick); Rotterdam (d Nadal); F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Nadal); QF: Dubai (W/O vs Gasquet)
2009 in Review:
· The World No. 4 is off to a career-best 25-2 start and he’s appearing in his circuit-best fourth ATP World Tour final of the season (2-1)… Last year he won his 25th match in the second round at Wimbledon in June…Has a 6-1 mark against Top 10 opponents (27-21 in career)
· Since July last year (after Wimbledon) going into the final, has compiled a sizzling 56-7 record (.889), the best mark on the ATP World Tour (Nadal is 50-7) during that stretch
· He is playing in his fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in the past five Masters 1000 tournaments (going back to Cincinnati last August)…In his last tournament at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, reached the final (d. Federer in SF, l. to Nadal), his lone Top 10 loss this year
· He opened the season by defending his title in Doha with back-to-back wins over No. 2 Federer (SF) and No. 8 Roddick (F)...Held serve 47 of 50 games throughout tournament
· Then followed with a fourth round showing at the Australian Open where he lost to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco for the first time in five sets
· On Feb. 15, defeated World No. 1 Nadal in three sets in Rotterdam to capture his second ATP World Tour title of the season and 10th of his career
· In late February he reached the quarter-finals in Dubai and withdrew against Richard Gasquet due to a virus...Also withdrew from first round Davis Cup home tie (in Scotland) vs. Ukraine
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
· In 2008, captured two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles – Cincinnati (d. Djokovic) and Madrid (d. Federer in SF, d. Simon in final)…He enters his fourth career final (2-1) with a 58-26 record…Has reached the final in four of his past five ATP Masters 1000 events (except Paris, QF)
Miscellaneous:
· In 2008, the British No. 1 compiled his best season by winning a career-high five ATP titles and reaching his first Grand Slam final
· Became first British player to win five titles in a year in Open Era and first Briton to appear in a Grand Slam final since Greg Rusedski at US Open in 1997
· Also the first British player to finish in Top 4 in 36-year history of ATP World Tour Rankings
· Jumped off to a 10-1 start with titles in two of his first three tournaments in Doha (d. Davydenko in SF, Wawrinka in F) and Marseille (d. Ancic)...In between, suffered a 1st Rd. loss at Australian Open (l. to eventual runner-up Tsonga)…In March, beat No. 1 Federer in opening round of Dubai en route to QF
· After reaching quarters at Wimbledon (l. to Nadal), during summer hard court circuit, reached semi-finals at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Toronto (d. Wawrinka, Djokovic, l. to Nadal) and followed with first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati (d. Djokovic)
· After a 1st Rd. loss to Lu at Beijing Olympics, regrouped to reach US Open final, handing Nadal his first loss as World No. 1 in SF...Also beat No. 10 Wawrinka in 4th RD and No. 17 del Potro in QF before falling in straight sets to Federer...Climbed from No. 6 to No. 4 afterwards
· Compiled a personal-best 14-match winning streak with two Davis Cup wins vs. Austria’s Peya and Melzer although Great Britain lost 3-2…During indoor circuit, won second straight AMS title in Madrid (d. Federer in SF, Simon in F), repeated crown in St. Petersburg (d. Golubev) and reached QF at AMS Paris (l. to Nalbandian)
DJOKOVIC FASTFACTS
Tournament Highlights:
· The 21-year-old Serb is making his second final appearance in four visits (12-2 record) and he’s trying to become the fifth player in tournament history to win at least two titles
· Two years ago came in ranked No. 10 and proceeded to win the title without dropping a set (13-0), posting wins over No. 2 Rafael Nadal (QF), No. 12 Andy Murray (SF) and qualifier Gullermo Canas (F)
· En route to the final, has dropped one set with wins over Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic 63 62, No. 31 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 64 61, No. 21 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 63 62, No. 10 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 63 64 (saving all four break points), and No. 2 Roger Federer 36 62 63 (converting six of 10 break points)
· Has held serve 43 of 48 games (saving 15 of 20 break points) while converting 20 of 40 break point chances
· Last year lost in the opening round (after a bye) to No. 122 South African Kevin Anderson 76 36 64
2009 Highlights:
W: Dubai (d Ferrer); SF: Sydney (l Nieminen); Marseille (l Tsonga); QF: Australian Open (l Roddick); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Roddick)
2009 in Review:
· The World No. 3 comes into his second ATP World Tour final with a 22-7 record on the season (22-5 on hard)…Since opening the year with a first round loss to Ernests Gulbis in Brisbane, has reached the quarter-finals or better in his next six tournaments…Has a 2-3 mark vs. Top 10 foes (22-33 in career)
· He is appearing in his seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final (4-2) and 19th overall final (12-6)
· In his last tournament at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, came in as defending champion and lost to Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals
· Last month lost both of his singles matches on clay in a first round Davis Cup tie in Spain, falling to David Ferrer and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in fourth rubber, which clinched the tie
· Prior to Davis Cup, defeated No. 8 Gilles Simon (SF) and David Ferrer (on Feb. 28) in the Dubai final for his first ATP World Tour title of the season…Improved to 12-6 lifetime in ATP World Tour-level finals
· In first month of action advanced to the semi-finals in Sydney (l. to Nieminen) and was one match win away from becoming No. 2 ranked player…Followed with a quarter-final at the Australian Open where he retired vs. Roddick in the fourth set due to heat illness
· Also reached the semi-finals in Marseille (l. to Tsonga) before winning first ATP World Tour title of the season following week in Dubai (d. Ferrer)
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
· Has a 64-24 career match record and 4-2 in finals, winning two titles in each of the past two years
· In 2007, reached his first final in Indian Wells (l. to Nadal) and followed with his first title at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (d. Canas)…Later that year, won the title in Montreal, defeating the Top 3 players in succession – No. 3 Roddick (QF), No. 2 Nadal (SF) and No. 1 Federer (F)
· Last year, won titles in Indian Wells (d. Fish) and Rome (d. Wawrinka) while reaching the final in Cincinnati (l. to Murray)
Miscellaneous:
· In 2008, the young Serb finished No. 3 for a second straight season...The last player to do that was Pete Sampras in 1999-2000…Has ranked No. 3 every week since July 9, 2007 except one (Aug. 6, ’07)
· Captured four titles in six finals, winning Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai as well as his first Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open (d. Federer in SF, Tsonga in F)...Only dropped one set during fortnight in Melbourne, that coming in final
· In March, reached semi-finals in Dubai (l. to Roddick) and followed with title in Indian Wells (d. Nadal in SF, Fish in F)
· After a 17-4 start in first three months, played well on clay (16-3) with SF at Monte Carlo (ret. to Federer), won title at Rome (d. Wawrinka) and reached semi-finals at Hamburg and Roland Garros (l. to Nadal both times)...Had chance to move to No. 2 in last two tournaments with a win over Nadal
· On grass, advanced to final at Queen’s (l. to Nadal), before losing in 2nd Rd. at Wimbledon to Safin
· During summer hard court circuit, reached QF in Toronto, final at Cincinnati (l. to Murray both times), won bronze medal at Beijing Olympics (d. Blake) and advanced to SF at US Open (l. to Federer)
· Qualified for second straight Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, defeating Davydenko for the title
2009 ATP WORLD TOUR TITLE LEADERS – Murray is looking to become the first three-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season and Djokovic is trying to add his name to the list of two-time winners in 2009:
Titles
Marin Cilic 2 Tommy Robredo 2
Andy Murray 2 Radek Stepanek 2
Rafael Nadal 2 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2
DOUBLES FINAL – Ashley Fisher (AUS)/Stephen Huss (AUS) vs Max Mirnyi (BLR)/Andy Ram (ISR)
· The Aussie duo of Ashley Fisher and Stephen Huss take on Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Andy Ram of Israel in Saturday's doubles final. This is the first all unseeded final in Miami since 1991 when South Africans Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval beat Americans Ken Flach and Robert Seguso in three sets.
· Fisher and Huss are appearing in their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final while Mirnyi is looking for his fourth Sony Ericsson Open title and Ram his first. Mirnyi won the title in 2003 (w/Federer) and 2005-06 (w/Bjorkman).
· Fisher and Huss, who came into Miami with a 4-9 career match record together, defeated ATP World Tour No. 1 Bob and Mike Bryan in the semi-finals. Mirnyi and Ram saved five match points in the second set tie-break to beat Austrians Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer 4-6, 7-6(8), 10-6.
· Fisher and Huss are trying to become the first Aussie duo to win the title since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 2000. The Aussie greats also won from 1995-97. Fisher is appearing in his ninth career ATP World Tour final (4-4), his second this year (Johannesburg). His last title came in Indianapolis last July. Huss is also making his ninth appearance in an ATP World Tour final (3-5), his first of the year. His last title came in Beijing last September. He captured the biggest title of his career at Wimbledon in 2005 (w/Moodie).
· Mirnyi and Ram are appearing in their second straight final after losing to Americans Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. They made a successful debut together in Vienna last October by winning the title. They have a 14-4 match record. Mirnyi has a 35-27 career record in doubles finals and he's looking to extend his streak of winning at least one title for 11 consecutive years. Ram is making his 30th career final appearance (15-14) and he's won at least one title every year from 2003-08.
(From website : http://www.atpworldtour.com/TENNIS/1/EN/NEWS/NEWSARTICLE_2922.ASP)
