 |
The last time Andy Murray won in Cincinnati, in 2008, he reached the US Open final. Richard Evans has covered tennis since the 1960s, reporting on more than 150 Grand Slams. He is author of 15 books, including the official history of the Davis Cup and ...
Your email has been sent.CHECK SCORES WATCH VIDEOS VIDEOS FEATURED CHANNELS NFL MLB NASCAR NBA NHL NCAA FB NCAA BK FOX SOCCER GOLF BROWSE ALL VIDEOS » FEATURED SHOWS FOX SPORTS FLASH WHAT THE FOX? HOOTERS DREAM GIRLS LUNCH WITH BENEFITS MMATHELTICS BARFLY CHEAP SEATS CUBED 3 WIDE BROWSE ALL SHOWS » MOST WATCHED THIS HOUR Ball bounces past keeper Schrager: AFC North Preview PL Highlights: Arsenal/Liverpool PL Highlights: Chelsea/West Brom Countdown to Kickoff: Dolphins Full Count: Cubs GM wanted Schrager: NFC East Preview Schrager: NFC North Preview BROWSE ALL MOST WATCHED » PLAY GAMES GAMES FANTASY NEWS FANTASY HOME FOOTBALL -- FREE DRAFT GUIDE BASEBALL FORUMS BLOGS ALL FANTASY NEWS » FANTASY GAMES FANTASY FOOTBALL -- MOCK DRAFTS PRO FOOTBALL SURVIVOR FANTASY BASEBALL BASEBALL HOT STREAK FANTASY AUTO RACING FANTASY SOCCER WGT:
Search FOX Sports Search the Web Community My Profile Blogs Groups Forums Account Info Favorites Newsletters & Alerts Link Accounts Sign Out NFL NFL NFL Home Scores Standings Schedule Stats Fantasy Teams Players Power Rankings Video Odds Tickets Photos MLB MLB MLB Home Scores Standings Schedule Stats Fantasy Teams Players Power Rankings Video Odds Tickets NASCAR NASCAR NASCAR Home Results Standings Schedule Video Photos RaceTrax Drivers Stats Power Rankings Fantasy Tickets NBA NBA NBA Home Scores Standings Schedule Stats Photos Teams Players Video Odds Draft Tracker Tickets NHL NHL NHL Home Scores Standings Schedule Stats Photos Teams Players Power Rankings Video Odds Tickets NCAA FB NCAA FB NCAA Football Scores Standings Schedule Stats Photos Teams Polls Power Rankings Video Odds Tickets SOCCER SOCCER FoxSoccer.tv Premier League England USA TV Latin America PL Fantasy SOCCER HOME UEFA CL Europe Euro 2012 Video GOLF GOLF Golf Home Leaderboard Schedule Players Video Shop Lists Topics Photos Tiger Woods Tickets Golfweek TENNIS TENNIS Tennis Home Results Schedule Photos Shop Tickets Rankings Players Video Topics Search UFC UFC UFC Home Odds List HeavyMMA Tickets Video Photos Inside Fights Fight Network Shop LOCAL LOCAL Anaheim Atlanta Boston Charlotte Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Dallas Detroit Green Bay Houston Indianapolis Kansas City Los Angeles Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville Oklahoma City Orlando Phoenix Raleigh San Antonio St.
TennisFOX Sports ExclusiveShort final can't diminish Murray's win The last time Andy Murray won in Cincinnati, in 2008, he reached the US Open final.
Richard Evans has covered tennis since the 1960s, reporting on more than 150 Grand Slams. He is author of 15 books, including the official history of the Davis Cup and the unofficial history of the modern game in "Open Tennis." He lives in Florida.
Novak Djokovic did everyone a favor when he retired while trailing Andy Murray 4-6, 0-3 in the final of the Western & Southern Championships ? not least himself. Seconds after the world No. 1 shook hands with Murray and chatted briefly with his friend and rival at the net Sunday, the heavens opened.
Perhaps, under different circumstances, Djokovic might have noted the oncoming storm and hung on in an attempt to use the break in play to regroup. But the Serb had been struggling with a stiff shoulder in his previous two matches and was keen to do as little damage to the injury as possible.
So, having survived a full-on battle with Murray in the semifinal of the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome in May, when the Scot served for the match, Djokovic was forced to accept his second defeat of the year and end a 31-match winning streak on hardcourts. Providing the shoulder problem clears up, the setback will not affect his confidence as he tries to add a third Grand Slam crown to his list of astonishing achievements in 2011.
Murray will not need to be told that his fourth victory against Djokovic in 10 matches did not require the customary amount of work.
But a win is a win, especially when it translates into your seventh ATP Masters 1000 crown. Murray has won two of these top-tier ATP events every year since 2008. With Shanghai and Paris still to come in the fall, he has the chance to at least emulate that feat this year.
But, from the Scot?s point of view, the most pleasing aspect of this success has been the way he put a shocking first-match loss to Kevin Anderson in Montreal behind him and rediscovered his form. He was able to win the Cincinnati title without losing a set. More than beating Djokovic, his victory over the in-form Mardy Fish in the semifinals will have given him most satisfaction.
The final became a contest briefly in the first set when Djokovic started to find some rhythm on a wayward forehand and broke back to get to 3-3. Murray then reached break point and came out on top of a mesmerizing rally that lasted 40 strokes and was ended only when Murray finally got a short return and came in to put away a forehand.
A girl named Caroline won. A lot. So what's going on? Find out in the week's best and worst in tennis.?Novak started slowly, but then I needed to up my game when he broke back,? Murray said. ?I?ll take a day off now and work on a couple of things, like my serve. I wasn?t happy with getting broken three times in an earlier match. And, of course, I let a lead slip temporarily again today. But otherwise, I?ll just work on my stamina and make sure I?m ready for the Open.?
The last time Murray won in Cincinnati in 2008, he went on to reach his first Grand Slam final, losing to Roger Federer at Flushing Meadows. So it is a good omen?
As most tennis players tend to believe in those sort of things, Murray is contemplating driving to New York on Monday. He drove down from Montreal, you see, so why break a winning pattern?
If he chooses that route, he will be following in the time-honored path of such great champions as Pancho Gonzales, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver who used to barnstorm across the States on the old Jack Kramer pro tour in the 1950s and '60s, playing one-night stands on canvas courts in school gymnasiums, rolling up the court, stashing it in the back of somebody?s car and heading off, night after night, from, say, New Orleans to Mobile and on to Jacksonville.
With finances as they were in the dark days before Open Tennis, those pioneering pros had no option. Murray, with more assistants than Gonzales and Hoad ever saw on tour, has the luxury of choice.
Fox Sports StoreMitchell & Ness Los Angeles Lakers #8 Kobe Bryant Gold Authentic Throwback Baske.. BUY NOWOUR PRICE $259.95adidas Boston Celtics #34 Paul Pierce White Home Swingman Basketball Jersey BUY NOWOUR PRICE $79.95adidas Milwaukee Bucks #22 Michael Redd White Home Swingman Jersey BUY NOWOUR PRICE $49.99adidas Detroit Pistons #32 Richard Hamilton White Home Swingman Jersey BUY NOWOUR PRICE $49.99adidas Los Angeles Lakers Purple Primary Logo T-shirt BUY NOWOUR PRICE $17.95adidas Atlanta Hawks #15 Al Horford Navy Blue Road Swingman Basketball Jersey BUY NOWOUR PRICE $79.95adidas Boston Celtics #5 Kevin Garnett Green Player T-shirt BUY NOWOUR PRICE $24.95adidas Boston Celtics #20 Ray Allen Green Player T-shirt BUY NOWOUR PRICE $24.95adidas Boston Celtics #34 Paul Pierce Green Player T-shirt BUY NOWOUR PRICE $24.95adidas Detroit Pistons #22 Tayshaun Prince Royal Blue Road Swingman Basketball J.. BUY NOWOUR PRICE $49.
FUEL TV Download: Billabong Pro Tahiti (Augus... FUEL TV Download: Billabong Pro Teahupoo... Pat Gets Slapped: The Daily Habit (August 18,...