Can world No 2 keep up pressure on Andy Murray?

Andy Murray is braced for the tantalising prospect of facing Novak Djokovic in the final of the ATP Tour Finals with the world number one ranking on the line. Of course, in the beginning of the year I was winning a lot of close matches also against top guys like Nadal.

Djokovic opened the match with two double-faults, but he didn’t do much wrong after that.

Should Djokovic, victor of the event for the past four years, and Murray meet on Sunday it what would be their first clash since Djokovic’s French Open triumph in June.

“He was pleased with the way we played, which made me really happy”. A second serve, I missed the return there.

To get to the tiebreakers, Djokovic saved three break points in the first set. Monfils commented after a straight sets loss to Raonic about his lack of practise time. Having edged a high-intensity first-set when Raonic doublefaulted on set point in a tense tiebreak, Djokovic looked to have broken the shackles in the second to lead 4-2. Just from my side, I have to concentrate on trying to win my own matches, get through as many as I can and make it as tough as possible for Novak to jump me. Hasn’t necessarily played his best tennis since. The victor will advance.

Djokovic was pushed hard in the breaker, but he had the answer on every big point and eventually wrapped up a gutsy victory in two hours and 14 minutes. Defeats to Novak Djokovic and wins over Gael Monfils means both players are locked on one victory each heading into the last match of the round robin stage.

“Milos was hanging in there and only one or two points separated us in the second set”. Obviously, I try to dedicate my time daily to him, at least in the morning. In Cincinnati, Goffin was excellent in the third set and in Miami the first set was his strongest. As the home stretch of this year’s ATP World Tour Finals approaches, the players are feeling the building pressure to win or go home. “I think I didn’t play a great match, but I gave everything I had”.

Belgium’s Goffin pocketed $179,000 for his brief appearance, courtesy of an injury that forced Gael Monfils to withdraw on Wednesday, earning nearly $60,000 for each game he won in a no-contest lasting 69 minutes.