Murray and Ferrer to meet in Paris

“There was a few variety in there with the way the points finished, which was pleasing for me”, Murray said. “I think in terms of physical and mental ability, I have reached my peak”.

Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-2, 6-4 to win the Paris Masters for the third straight year and a record fourth time overall, dominating the second-seeded Briton from the outset in a one-sided final.

The Serb responded in the third by breaking Wawrinka’s serve three times on his way to a decisive 6-0 set.

In a high-quality match, Murray edged the first set in a tie-break but made little impact on the Gasquet serve in the second, the Frenchman taking it thanks to one break.

“The level during the first set was extremely good”.

The 10-time Grand Slam champion nailed his third match point when Wawrinka’s forehand sailed out, and the players hugged at the net.

Murray told the BBC: “It was a tough match”.

“We played just recently in Shanghai”.

But what Murray and Goffin do know for sure is that after yesterday’s one-sided win, it is first blood to Great Britain. “I managed to shorten a lot of the points”.

Firstly he seeks the kind of competitive tennis that will hone his skills for the match in Ghent, but also he does not want to drain his batteries or tweak his dodgy back.

In Saturday’s semis, Djokovic defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, while Murray edged past David Ferrer 6-4, 6-3. Novak created 9 break points, converting 4 of them, and on the other hand he had just 2 troubled games on serve, giving Andy one break point, which Scot realized.

But serving for the match at 30-15 up, Wawrinka’s composure deserted him, allowing Nadal to break back and then hold for 5-5.

“It’s progress”, said Murray of reaching his first Paris Masters final.

The Scot converted five out of nine break points he fashioned, while Ferrer could only manage two out of eight.

“With him it’s whether he can serve big whenever he needs most”, Federer said.

Murray had a few tricks up his sleeve, trying to mix it up with drop shots, but Djokovic had too much poise and pace and he stole his opponent’s serve again as he took advantage of some sloppy errors.

Isner jumped out into a 5-2 lead in the tie-break before Ferrer pulled back, but it was the American who levelled the set scores against all the odds.

“It wasn’t an injury, it might have looked like it”, Isner said.

So full fitness is essential for British hopes of a first Davis Cup win since 1936, hence the concern in the second set when Murray grimaced in pain after stretching to hit a return.