Andy Murray Outclasses Roger Federer 7-5, 7-5 to Successfully Defend Rogers Cup Title
Britain’s Andy Murray overcame Roger Federer 7-5, 7-5 in Canada to successfully defend his Rogers Cup title. Murray sensationally outclassed the legendary Swiss to send a clear warning signal to the rest of the circuit ahead of the prestigious U.S. Open Grand Slam event later this month. The Scot overcame both Rafael Nadal and Federer for the first time in the same tournament en route to the trophy.
Federer’s march to the Roger’s Cup final had been far from smooth. The Swiss survived the previous two rounds relying heavily on his opponents’ mistakes to avoid an upset. Murray’s game, on the other hand, became stronger and stronger as the week progressed. In spite of the distraction affected by Murray’s split from his trainer, Miles Maclagan, earlier this year, the Scot was nevertheless able to reproduce the form that earned him a place in the final of the 2010 Australian Open.
Murray had not beaten Federer in nearly two years and he had yet to defeat the Swiss sensation in a final showdown. Piling onto Murray’s apprehensions before the match was the fact that Federer is one of the game’s all-time greats with a remarkable 16 Grand Slam titles to his name. Yet Murray got the better of his nerves and his world renowned opponent, establishing control over the game from the very start. Only a few months ago, the Scot was struggling to maintain form. Yet in the final showdown against Federer, Murray displayed little sign of the inconsistency that had been dogging him for the past couple of months. In the rain interrupted match, it was Murray who managed to maintain his cool as his Swiss opponent appeared visibly irritated by the disruption caused by fickle weather conditions.
After his well earned victory, the Scot said his principal goal was to excel at the last remaining Grand Slam of the year, the U.S Open, but a win at the Rogers Cup had been an excellent way to start his preparation ahead of the tournament. Murray remarked that the competition in Canada had been extremely demanding physically, with little gaps between the matches. Predictably, Murray believes his demolition of Davis Nalbandian, world number one Rafael Nadal and world number two Roger Federer in a row would give him a welcome boost of confidence for the upcoming matches. The Scot hopes to reproduce his winning form at this week’s Cincinnati Masters, but said his key concern was to be well prepared for the upcoming U.S. Open tournament.
Murray’s win on Sunday against Federer - his 7th triumph over the Swiss in 12 clashes - was testament to his resilience and to the newfound aggression he has incorporated in his game. In an encounter that lasted for over two hours and was interrupted by rain no less than five times, Federer came back from disadvantage in both sets after Murray established an early lead twice.
The Scot revealed he was in no rush to find a replacement for former coach Miles Maclagan, saying at the moment he was enjoying his independence. However, Murray conceded he was on the lookout for a new trainer, but wanted to wait until he was able to find a suitable person for the job. Murray said he was delaying the decision until after the U.S. Open, when he planned to give plenty of thought as to who he would like to pair up with.
Murray’s win at the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour Rogers Cup means he is able to retain his world number 4 ranking. Meanwhile, Roger Federer’s appearance in the tournament’s final helped him topple Serbia’s Novak Djokovic for the 2nd spot in the ATP rankings. Djokovic, who was knocked out of the semifinals in Canada, has dropped to the third place in world rankings. Although he crashed out to Andy Murray in the Rogers Cup semifinal, Rafael Nadal’s place as the ATP world number one player remains unaltered.
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