December 27, 2012 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Andy Murray’s 2013 season began with a loss on Thursday after a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic in the opening match of the 2012 Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dahbi. Tipsarevic advances to face Nicolas Almagro, a late replacement for Rafael Nadal who pulled out of the tournament with a stomach bug.
"It’s not every day that you get to play a Grand Slam champion and an Olympic gold medalist," said Tipsarevic. "I know it’s an early-season tournament, but I can tell you that the six of us take this very seriously. I knew I could beat Andy as I have beaten him before. He’s a totally different animal now as he won a Grand Slam and Olympic gold so beating him here has given me confidence. Both of us have very similar games so it’s great to come out on top."
In other action, fifth-ranked David Ferrer defeated sixth-ranked Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4 to set up a semifinal against top-ranked Novak Djokovic. Djokovic said winning the French Open—the only Grand Slam tournament he has yet to capture – is his top goal of the year.
