A LOOK BACK

Uruguay Open (Montevideo, Uruguay): Second seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina cruised to the title with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 win over sixth seed Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil. He is now on a 10-match win streak in Challengers, having prevailed also defeated Dutra Silva in September’s championship match in Barranquila, Colombia.

Argentina has won 20 titles in 2016, tying France in 2005 and their own personal best in 2007 for most Challenger events won by any country. Ten different Argentine players won title this year.

Dutra Silva has had an outstanding finish to the season in South American Challengers. He’s posted a 26-9 record since September, including runner-up finishes in Montevideo and Barranquilla, Colombia, as well as semi-final showings in four other events.

JSM Challenger Of Champaign-Urbana (Champaign, Illinois): Second seed Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland successfully defended his title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over sixth seed Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium. This is his second Challenger title of the year, having prevailed in September in Shanghai. Laaksonen is the fourth player to successfully defend a Challenger title this year, joining #NextGen star Hyeon Chung (Kaohsiung), Yen-Hsun Lu (Ningbo) and Facundo Bagnis (Santiago). Last year, he rallied from a set down to defeat Taylor Fritz in the final.

Bemelmans has come alive in the final part of the season. He finished runner-up earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia, and has gone 10-3 in his past three Challenger events.

Dunlop Srixon World Challenge (Toyota, Japan): Fifth seed James Duckworth of Australia continued his outstanding form by defeating seventh seed Tatsuma Ito of Japan, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. Duckworth has vaulted more than 100 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings in his return from an elbow injury in early May, rising to No. 104. He caps his 2016 campaign in dominant fashion, posting a 14-1 record in his final three events, including a title run on home soil Canberra earlier this month.

Internazionali Citta Di Brescia (Brescia, Italy): In a thrilling final, Luca Vanni of Italy scored a 6-7(5), 6-4 7-6(8) win over lucky loser Laurynas Grigelis of Lithuania. The 31-year-old also prevailed this July at the Challenger in Segovia, Spain.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Laaksonen: “I didn’t feel that good in the first three matches, but I kept fighting and started to feel really great on the court by the end. I didn’t give away too any free points in the final and showed that I can play at a high level. “

A LOOK AHEAD

The 2016 ATP Challenger Tour season concludes this week with three events. Two months after holding a successful $50,000 event, Ohio State University in the city of Columbus will now host a $75,000 tournament. American #NextGen star Taylor Fritz is the top seed and has a blockbuster first-round clash against Ohio State star Mikael Torpegaard of Denmark, who won the last Challenger in Columbus. American Rajeev Ram, a doubles runner-up at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, is the second seed. Laaksonen looks for another title as the third seed and American #NextGen star Stefan Kozlov is the fourth seed.

The $50,000 event in Andria, Italy, returns for the fourth straight year. Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine is the top seed and Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland is the second seed. Vanni looks for another big run as the fourth seed and Grigelis looks to continue his top form as well. Former Top 5 player Tommy Robredo of Spain and World No. 1 junior Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece also compete this week.

Astana, Kazakhstan plays home to a new indoor hard court event with $50,000 in prize money. #NextGen star Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan is the top seed and Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan is the second seed. Local favourites Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Andrey Golubev are the fourth and eighth seeds, respectively. 

View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams

ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: New in 2016, the ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.

Having worked relentlessly to reach the summit of the tennis world, Andy Murray is determined to hang on to No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The 29-year-old dismantled Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals showdown to end the season on a 24-match winning streak to finish 2016 as the year-end No. 1 for the first time in his career. The Scot has won an ATP World Tour leading nine titles this campaign, with a career-best 78-9 match record, but is under no illusions over the size of the task to remain No. 1

“I would like to try and stay there, obviously. It’s taken a huge effort the last five, six months to get there,” said Murray at The O2 arena after Sunday’s triumph. “I would obviously like to stay there. I’m aware that’s going to be extremely difficult because I had a great year this year. I only managed to do it by one match. To repeat that again next year is going to be extremely difficult.

Murray is also aware that the Next Gen are going to be forcing their way into contention for the top honours. “I want to try and achieve as much as I can these next few years because I’m not going to be around forever,” reflected Murray, who also cinched a second Wimbledon title and Olympic gold medal in 2016. “I’m not going to be able to play at this level and play this many matches into my mid-30s. The young guys are going to keep improving and getting better.”

An enthralled crowd at The O2 arena witnessed Murray halt Djokovic’s four-year reign at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday. The Serbian possessed a 24-10 Fedex Head2Head over Murray before the London finale, which made the victory even more special.

“He’s been my main rival really throughout my career. We’ve played in all of the slam finals, Olympics, obviously here now, and a match to finish the year No. 1. We played in loads of Masters 1000 Series finals, as well, and are one week apart in age,” said Murray. “It obviously a very important win for me. It was just a huge match to finish the year, to try and finish No. 1. This is a major event, as well, and one I’ve not done well in in the past. So it’s been a great week.”

Having prevailed in the record longest Barclays ATP World Tour Finals match on Saturday, in his pulsating 3hr38minutes semi-final victory over Milos Raonic, Murray admitted he felt “sluggish” in practice just before taking on Djokovic.

“I was lucky I got it finished in two sets, I didn’t feel great this morning. Also I don’t think that was one of Novak’s best matches. I think we have played better matches together,” added the Scot. “The end of the match was exciting and dramatic. There were mistakes from both of us but I think tactically I played a good match.

“Yeah, it was obviously a good performance. You never beat a player as good as Novak if you don’t play well.”

Having captured his maiden Barclays ATP World Tour Finals trophy, Murray will head out on Monday night to celebrate with family and friends to toast a landmark victory.

“I’m happy for my team, as well, because they put a lot of work into getting me ready for these matches. I’ve lost a lot of them over the years,” said Murray. “It’s nice and I’m happy for them that I managed to win a big one like this. Mentally that will give me a boost going into next year, as well.”

In archetypical Murray fashion, he is already preparing to put in the hard graft to compete in 2017, and he’ll fly to Miami in a fortnight to begin winter training. “It’s going to be hard, but I’ll try to keep going.”

It’s a rare sight when someone other than Novak Djokovic is posing with ATP Executive Chairman & President Chris Kermode and the year-end No. 1 trophy. That honour has fallen upon the Serbian in four of the previous five years at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, but on Sunday it was Andy Murray dramatically wrestling the mantle.

Djokovic, who saw his four-year reign at The O2 also come to an end, was on the losing end of a 6-3, 6-4 result as the spotlight abruptly shifted to his Scottish counterpart. But despite the defeat, the World No. 2 reflected on what has been a sparkling 2016 campaign. Standards will always be high for Djokovic and putting losses into perspective is key for the Serbian.

“We’re sitting now talking post-match, obviously analysing the whole year,” said Djokovic. “There are many highlights, many things to reflect on and be proud of… Every year is an evolution for me. It’s a different year. It’s hard to expect to repeat all these things forever.

“Nothing is eternal. I know there are other players coming up and present players that are getting stronger. I’m trying to do the same thing. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. All in all, it’s one great lesson that you have to accept and move on hopefully as a wiser person and as a better player.”

Djokovic concludes a season as No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2013, when he finished behind Rafael Nadal. He was bidding to join Roger Federer as the only six-time winners at the season finale, failing to lift the trophy for the first time since 2011.

The Belgrade native is confident that the bump in the road will smooth over, with much-needed rest and recovery following a long season. A 65-9 win-loss mark and seven titles, including four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events (Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Toronto) and Grand Slam crowns at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, is a season to be proud of.

“Right now the goal is just to rest a little bit,” Djokovic added. “It’s been a long season, a very nice year, a lot to reflect on and a lot to take in. But it’s time to leave the racquet aside for a little bit, just recover, then I’ll start thinking about next season.

“The last five, six months have not been ideal. Surely, I could have maybe done slightly better in some tournaments. Nevertheless, I played the final of the US Open and final here. It’s still pretty good playing finals. Even though I set a high standard for myself, especially the last couple years, I’m very grateful to have had the career that I’ve had.

“But, sometimes it’s just normal to experience these kind of things and to not have the half seasons as well as you want them to be, as well as they’ve been in the last three, four years. That’s all.”

Andy Murray broke the unbreakable.

Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title match to become the year-end No. 1 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings by attacking the Serbian’s normally impenetrable backhand.

All discussions after the semi-finals focused on possible exhaustion for the Brit after his marathon victory over Milos Raonic and Djokovic’s impressive demolition of Kei Nishikori. It took just a handful of minutes on Sunday night to clearly see both of those results would have no bearing on the final.

This match was Murray’s from the beginning. He looked sharper, hungrier, and more willing to reach out and grab his destiny rather than hope it was going to be given to him. “There was no serious chance for me to win today’s match,” Djokovic said post-match. “From the very beginning we could see that. He was just better all in all.”

With Murray returning leading 4-3 on serve in the opening set, Djokovic committed a routine backhand error at 15/0 that seemed very uncharacteristic from the former World No. 1. The Serbian was off balance, falling backwards, which immediately started the alarm bells ringing, signaling a critical break of serve was imminent. At 15/15, Djokovic started the rally with two forehands, but Murray then made him hit three consecutive backhands, with Djokovic sailing the third one long.

At deuce, Djokovic put a neutral rally backhand groundstroke into the net. On break point, Murray double downed on attacking the vulnerable Djokovic wing, making the Serbian hit eight consecutive backhands, with the last one finding its way into the net as Murray approached with an aggressive forehand. Break. The Scottish horse was bolting.

With Murray serving at 5-3, 40/15 in the opening set, it was once again a Djokovic backhand that found the net to end the point, and end the set. Overall for the match, Djokovic’s backhand contributed just three winners, while committing 17 unforced errors. Murray hit 54 per cent of his shots to Djokovic’s backhand side, relentlessly trying to break it down.

Murray’s quality groundstrokes also forced Djokovic more onto his back foot in the final than the World No. 2 is used to. In round-robin play, and in the semi-final against Nishikori, Djokovic made contact with 78 per cent of his backhands behind the baseline. That margin slightly deteriorated against Murray, with 82 per cent of Djokovic’s backhands hit from behind the baseline.

“I just played very poorly, made a lot of unforced errors from the backhand side,” Djokovic said post-match. “It just wasn’t my day.”

The average rally length in Murray’s semi-final victory against Raonic was just five shots, but that was extended to seven shots against Djokovic in the final. Unfortunately for the Belgrade native, those longer rallies all too often ended in a backhand error.

Leading into the final, Djokovic averaged just seven backhand unforced errors in each match, but that skyrocketed to 17 against Murray. Once Murray found a crack in Djokovic’s armour, he turned it into a crevice.

Overall in the final, Murray played better than we have seen this week, and Djokovic played worse. You have got to give credit to the Brit for both ends of that equation.

Missed a moment of the action from Sunday at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals? Here’s your executive summary.

1) Murray Crowned King Of London, Finishes Year At No. 1

In the championship match that all tennis fans were waiting for, Andy Murray defeated four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and finish 2016 as year-end World No. 1. He is the first British player to be crowned champion at the season-ending finale.

Murray is the 17^th player to finish atop the Emirates ATP Rankings. He wrapped up 2016 with five straight titles and 24 consecutive victories, in addition to pocketing a cool $2,391,000 for his efforts at The O2.

Djokovic was looking for his sixth title at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Had he defeated Murray, the Serbian would have finished at the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings for a third consecutive year. Read Match Report

2) Murray’s Pinpoint Aim

Murray created winners from nearly impossible angles throughout the match, frequently responding to perfect plays from Djokovic with brilliant shotmaking of his own.

3) Quote Of The Day

“We should all let Andy enjoy this a little bit. Don’t ask him questions about next season. He deserves to be in the moment and to really take everything in what he achieved, as well as his team and his wife. She has to get some credit. She gave birth this year [and] he has traveled all over the place. I know how it is with my wife, Jelena, what she had to go through as a mother back home with a little baby. So, Kim, well done. She’s maybe made even a bigger effort than Andy.” – Djokovic, praising Murray and those around him for their efforts this year. 

4) Celebs Galore

Plenty of famous faces made it a point not to miss the hottest ticket in town, including actor Kevin Spacey, soccer star Gerard Piqué and singer Sam Smith. View Celebrity Gallery

5) Kontinen/Peers Capture Doubles Title

Fifth seeds Henri Kontinen/John Peers completed their dream finish to 2016 with a 2-6, 6-1, 10-8 victory over seventh seeds Raven Klaasen/Rajeev Ram. They finished the year on a 10-match win streak, having won their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title earlier this month at the BNP Paribas Masters. Kontinen/Peers won five titles throughout 2016, including crowns in Brisbane, Munich and Hamburg. Read Match Report

Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title match to win his first season finale title and finish with the year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking.

He became the 17^th man to finish year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Murray also ends the season on a 24-match win streak and with a career-best nine titles in 2016, including three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles.

The Scot’s incredible ending to the year was applauded throughout the world on social media. Roger Federer was one of the first to congratulate his rival.

Epic start to the year by @DjokerNole.
Epic end to the year by @andy_murray, ending #1 ? Congrats guys ?

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) November 20, 2016

Congrats @andy_murray for your year-end No. 1 ranking. Amazing run.

— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) November 20, 2016

What a champion.. Bravo Sir @andy_murray ??? The new Number 1️⃣ of the world !!!

— Lucas Pouille (@la_pouille) November 20, 2016

Well done @andy_murray for reaching #1 year end ranking ??

— Tomáš Berdych (@tomasberdych) November 20, 2016

i am pretty sure @JudyMurray has always been proud of her sons but today must be extra special, congrats to @andy_murray and @jamie_murray

— Tommy Haas (@TommyHaas13) November 20, 2016

Congratulations on the perfect finish to a great season @andy_murray #️⃣1️⃣?☝?️?

— Kevin Anderson (@kevinanderson18) November 20, 2016

What an end to the year for @andy_murray He sure earned a rest after that domination for last 3 months. Congratulations.

— James Blake (@JRBlake) November 20, 2016

Brilliant @andy_murray what a year… ????? ?1️⃣

— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) November 20, 2016

???

— Jamie Murray (@jamie_murray) November 20, 2016

What a match, what a year, what a legend. Congratulations @andy_murray – world number 1 #ATPFinals

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) November 20, 2016

Congrats buddy! Well deserved. @andy_murray

— Mardy Fish (@MardyFish) November 20, 2016

Well done @andy_murray to the title and the year end world number 1 ranking.??#ATPFinals
Congrats to a remarkable year, unbelievable effort?

— Jonas Bjorkman (@BjorkmanTennis) November 20, 2016

I’d almost forgotten what it’s like when the person you really, really want to win, wins!

???????????????????????? @andy_murray

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 20, 2016

My man Murray – #1. @andy_murray Congratulations!?

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) November 20, 2016

Huge congratulations @andy_murray on winning the @ATPWorldTour Finals & ending 2016 as World No1. A phenomenal year – we’re so proud of you!

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) November 20, 2016

Andy Murray has clinched year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, the 17th different player to do so in history (since 1973). The milestone was achieved in dramatic fashion on Sunday when he beat his rival for top spot, Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 6-4 in the title match of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London. It was the first time in history that the year-end No. 1 ranking was on the line for both players in the final ATP World Tour match of the season.

It was also the first time since Lisbon in 2000 that the year-end No. 1 ranking was decided in the final. That year, Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten defeated Andre Agassi of the United States in the final to finish No. 1 ahead of Russia’s Marat Safin.

The 29-year-old Briton, who replaced Serbia’s Djokovic at No. 1 on 7 November, has enjoyed a career-best season capturing nine titles – including Wimbledon, three ATP World Tour Masters 1000s and the Olympic gold medal – from 13 tour-level finals. It is the 13th straight season that the year-end World No. 1 ranking has been held by a member of the ‘Big Four’ – Roger Federer (2004-07, ’09), Rafael Nadal (2008, ‘10, ‘13), Djokovic (2011-12, ’14-15) or Murray (2016).

“It’s a very special day, playing against Novak in a match like this,” said Murray. “We’ve played in Grand Slam finals, Olympics and matches like this – it’s been a tough rivalry. I’ve lost many of them, but I am happy to have got the win today to clinch the year-end No. 1. It’s very special, it’s something that I never expected. My team and family have been a great help, making a lot of sacrifices for me and my tennis. I’d like to congratulate Novak on everything he has achieved this year.”

Chris Kermode, the ATP Executive Chairman and President, said, “What an amazing finish to the ATP World Tour season. To have the Top 2 players in the world battling it out for the No. 1 ranking in the final match of the year is unprecedented. Huge credit goes to both players for their phenomenal seasons, and congratulations to Andy on not only winning the season finale, but finishing as year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time. He joins an elite group of players to have achieved one of the greatest triumphs in sport in finishing the season as No.1.”

Since losing to Djokovic in the Mutua Madrid Open final on 8 May this year, when he trailed the Serbian by 9,025 points in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Murray has compiled a 58-4 match record. During his remarkable run, Murray has lifted trophies at Wimbledon (d. Raonic), three ATP World Tour Masters 1000s at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Djokovic), Shanghai Rolex Masters (d. Bautista Agut) and the BNP Paribas Masters (d. Isner), three ATP World Tour 500s at the Aegon Championships in London (d. Raonic), China Open in Beijing (d. Dimitrov) and the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna (d. Tsonga). He also the Rio Olympics gold medal (d. del Potro), and finished runner-up at Roland Garros (l. to Djokovic) and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (l. to Cilic).

Murray, who has won 44 titles – including 14 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns, is currently riding a career-best 24-match winning streak dating back to 16 September 2016. He has a 78-9 match record in 2016, which includes a 16-5 record against Top 10 opponents. On Sunday, Murray secured his fifth successive trophy and his first title at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Earlier this week, Andy’s older brother, Jamie Murray, was crowned year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings with Brazil’s Bruno Soares. It is the first time in the history of the official rankings that two brothers have finished year-end No. 1 in singles and doubles in the same season.

ATP WORLD TOUR YEAR-END NO. 1 PRESENTED BY EMIRATES
 
Year    Player
2016    Andy Murray (Great Britain)
2015    Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2014    Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2013    Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2012    Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2011    Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2010    Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2009    Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2008    Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2007    Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2006    Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2005    Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2004    Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2003    Andy Roddick (U.S.)
2002    Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2001    Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2000    Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil)
1999    Andre Agassi (U.S.)
1998    Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1997    Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1996    Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1995    Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1994    Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1993    Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1992    Jim Courier (U.S.)
1991    Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1990    Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1989    Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1988    Mats Wilander (Sweden)
1987    Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1986    Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1985    Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1984    John McEnroe (U.S.)
1983    John McEnroe (U.S.)
1982    John McEnroe (U.S.)
1981    John McEnroe (U.S.)
1980    Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1979    Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1978    Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1977    Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1976    Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1975    Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1974    Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1973    Ilie Nastase (Romania)

Andy Murray sealed a storybook conclusion to his 2016 campaign, assuming the mantle of year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with his first Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title. Murray dethroned rival Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s gripping final.

Murray capped a stunning march to the pinnacle of the tennis world with his 24th consecutive match win and fifth straight title. He cemented his place in the history books in becoming the 17th player to finish atop the Emirates ATP Rankings and first Brit to lift the trophy at the season finale.

“It’s a very special day,” Murray during the trophy presentation. “It’s been a tough rivalry. I’ve lost many of them but obviously I’m happy I’ve got the win today. To finish the year No. 1 is very special. It’s something I never expected.” 

Touted as a match for the ages with so much on the line, it was Murray who grabbed the initiative. All eyes were on The O2 on Sunday, confirmed by a star-studded list of celebrities in attendance, including actors Kevin Spacey, Jude Law, Woody Harrelson, Clive Owen, singer Sam Smith and footballers Gerard Pique and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Djokovic was ruthless on serve as proceedings got underway, claiming his first nine service points, but it would come under seige in the sixth game, as Murray earned a pair of break chances. The Serbian turned aside both opportunities and the Scot would finally break through a game later, behind a bevy of rifled returns. He refused to let the lead slip from his grasp, taking the opener 6-3 after 46 minutes.

Read Set-By-Set Blog

Murray had laboured on court for a marathon nine hours and 56 minutes entering the final, including the two longest best-of-three set matches in tournament history (since 1991), while Djokovic needed three hours less to reach the title match. But the top seed exhibited no signs of fatigue.

Impenetrable from the back of the court, Murray turned defence into offence in a flash, claiming 26 to 13 baseline points through the first 10 games of the encounter. The World No. 1 converted his fourth break chance in the opening game of the second set to surge ahead. Djokovic was uncharacteristically off balance and Murray capitalised, firing a stunning backhand pass in the fifth game en route to claiming a second break and slamming the door shut. The Scot would concede one break back for 4-2, but it proved to be too late for the four-time defending champion.

Murray would emerge victorious on his third match point after one hour and 42 minutes, as a Djokovic return sailed wide. It was the first time since 2000 in Lisbon that the year-end No. 1 player has been decided by the outcome of the championship match of the season finale.

Murray’s March To History

Djokovic’s lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head is now 24-11, with the World No. 2 claiming three of their five meetings this year. Murray also won in the final at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome. With the victory, he became the first player to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title after saving match point since Roger Federer in 2006 in Shanghai. Murray turned aside one in Saturday’s semi-final thriller against Milos Raonic.

Murray, who takes home $2,391,000 and 1,500 Emirates ATP Rankings points, is the 10th different No. 1 ranked player to win the title at the season finale. He claimed his 44th tour-level crown overall, improving to 44-21 in finals.

Djokovic was trying to capture his fifth straight Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title and sixth overall. The four-time year-end No. 1 was also bidding for a third consecutive finish in the top spot of the Emirates ATP Rankings. He earns $1,261,000 in prize money and 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

“I expected Andy to play on a high level,” Djokovic reflected. “As I said yesterday after my semi-final, I didn’t expect him to be too tired. I just played very poorly, made a lot of unforced errors from the backhand side. It wasn’t my day. On the other hand, credit to Andy for being mentally tough and playing the right shots and making me play extra shots in every rally. He definitely deserved to win.”