Recap of the fiercest battles of 2012: Murray vs. Federer – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship
Former world number one, Roger Federer, nudged past the British world number one, Andy Murray in the final round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship 2012. The Swiss veteran displayed his greater experience and consolidated
his straight-sets win, 7-5, 6-4, after a tough battle.
In a post match interview Federer told the media, “It's great. There is no substitute to confidence. I've played great. It's not just that I've taken my chances. I really thought I played a good tournament here. The end of last
year was exceptional, so it's nice to also win a tournament outdoors now. That gives me hope that I can carry it over to Indian Wells and Miami. The match was close I think in both sets. I just gave myself more opportunities than Andy did overall. I felt calm
knowing what I wanted to do. I think that was a big thing tonight as well."
The 25-year-old, Scot missed the second title of the season due to weak game plan. He made several mistakes in the latter half of the match and was unable to withstand the mounting pressure. The right-hander Swiss challenger secured
a 3-1 lead in the second set and showed his incredible grasp on the game. He took advantage of his rival’s errors, turning the situation to his advantage.
The right-hander Swiss challenger attained 50 percent first serve precision with just four aces and two double faults. He confidently converted 24 from 32 first and 21 of 32 second serve points, pocketing away just three of nine
break opportunities. On the other hand, Murray registered 48 percent first serve precision, firing seven aces with three double faults. He capitalized on 21 of 32 first and 19 of 34 second serve points in response.
The two challengers faced each other back in the year 2010 at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London and Federer consolidated his straight sets win. At the Shanghai ATP Masters, the young Scot penned down a remarkable straight-sets
upset against the higher ranked Swiss contender.
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