Andy Murray’s season is popping out even better than he predicted: He’s won a second Wimbledon identify and a 2d Olympic gold medal, and reached the finals on the Australian Open and French Open.And on Sunday, he clinched his 6th identify of the 12 months with a 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory over Roberto Bautista Agut on the Shanghai Masters, matching his season-excessive total from 2009.Now the Scot has his eyes set on yet another prize: the No. 1 rating. it may be hard to capture Novak Djokovic this yr, however Murray is ultimate in on his rival.
“I will strive to complete this yr as robust as i will. And next yr if the possibility is there to reach No. 1, then I need to try to take it,” Murray stated. “It’s going to be a tough issue to acquire that. I’m aware of that.”“however I believe i can get there. ... those previous few months have proved that to me.”
With Roger Federer injured, Rafael Nadal nonetheless seeking to regain his self belief and Djokovic handling the results of an hard season, Murray has installed himself because the dominant pressure in the game as the year winds down.
He credit the go back of Ivan Lendl to his training crew, coupled along with his victory at Wimbledon after several hard losses in Slam finals, for giving him the perception he should compete for primary championships once more.“It helped motivate me,” he stated. “virtually because the French Open, (I’ve) played the excellent 3 months of tennis of my profession.”
He hasn’t let up inside the put up-US Open very last stretch of the season, both. because arriving in China  weeks in the past, he hasn’t misplaced a hard and fast in 10 suits and has captured back-to-lower back titles at the China Open and Shanghai Masters.
Murray’s win on Sunday became additionally his excursion-best sixty fifth of the season and gave him his 41st career title, tying Stefan Edberg for 15th area on the all-time listing.
Bautista Agut made it tough for him on the start, however. The Spaniard, equally at domestic on tough courts as he's on clay, pinned Murray to the again of the court docket with effective forehands and sharp angles for lots of the first set, maintaining the second one-seeded Scot at the defensive and forcing him to make mistakes.
Serving for the set at 5-four, Murray appeared distracted by using motion in the crowd and wasted 3 set factors before Bautista Agut broke again to degree the match. Murray settled down in the tiebreaker, but, and closed out the second set in only 31 mins.
He had 16 unforced mistakes inside the starting set, but only three after that.at the same time as Murray still has more than one tournaments left this year, such as the ATP tour Finals in London, he’s already looking forward to next season and his subsequent important assignment of overtaking Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking, which the Serb has held because July 2014.The timing couldn’t be better.
Djokovic has been off his recreation for the reason that completing his career Grand Slam with a victory at the French Open in advance this season and has talked in latest weeks approximately putting less strain on himself to win extra slams and keep onto the pinnacle rating.
Bautista Agut stated he thinks the manner Murray is gambling, it’s simplest a rely of time.
“Andy is doing the whole thing to get Novak,” he stated. “i will see it in his eyes. He’s absolutely centered on getting No. 1.”