Djokovic Downs Murray in Paris for Sixth Title of the Year
World number one Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday to capture the BNP Paribas Masters title in Paris, Djokovic’s single-season record sixth title.
"There was couple of games in the second set where Andy started turning things around, so things could have gone different way as they did maybe against Wawrinka [in the semifinals] at same stage," said Djokovic. "But I managed to stay tough. It was, all in all, the best performance of the week, and it came at the right time. I'm hoping that I can repeat the kind of performances and success I have had [at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals] in previous years. The O2 Arena is a great stage for a tennis tournament.”
With the win, Djokovic is now tied with Ilie Nastase for 10th on the list of Open Era tour-level titlists with his 58th overall crown. Djokovic extended his winning streak to 22 straight matches, and has won 10 of the past 11 matchups with Murray, a 21-9 career advantage.
"It was a pleasure to play here this week in the beautiful new stadium," said Murray post-match. "Congratulations to Novak. It's been a great year for him. It's been a great week for me … the first time past the quarterfinals. That's progress and I hope to be back next year."
Djokovic will next take aim at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, set to begin Nov. 15 at The O2 in London. Djokovic, who clinched his place among the field back in early June, has a 23-9 record at the World Tour Finals and has not been beaten in his past three appearances, lifting the trophy the past three years as he seeks his fourth straight year-end title.
