Djokovic defeats Murray to win Madrid Masters.

A victory in three sets with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 secured Novak Djokovic his third Masters 1000 title of the year.

Andy Murray gave Djokovic a tough match, even though the Serbian player showed his superiority at times. This was in the first set when Djokovic broke Murray's serve in the very first game and then broke Murray's serve again in the third game to win easily 6-2 in just 31 minutes.

But what happened in the second set was completely different. Murray broke serve first, in the fourth game. The Scottish player showed improvement in his serves. After a slow start, Murray finally found his rhythm and broke Djokovic's serve for the second time in this tournament. Djokovic had won 32 of his last 33 sets against top 10 opponents, but Murray ruined that record with a successful drop shot to win the set point.

Murray (right) once again suffered a defeat at the hands of Djokovic. Photo: Reuters.

The difference between Murray's performance in the first and second sets was the second seed's more direct approach. The defending champion didn't hesitate to attack his opponent. Murray understood that things wouldn't go well if he continued to play a back-and-forth game with Djokovic. He maintained that approach in the third set, but the more pressure Djokovic faced, the more he showed his mettle. The Serbian player secured a break in the second game.

Djokovic's problem in the final was that he made many double faults. Two of these errors allowed Murray to break the top seed's serve in the third game, leveling the score at 2-2. But Murray couldn't resist any longer. The Scottish player then allowed Djokovic to break his serve again in the sixth game.

In the ninth game, Djokovic was serving while leading 5-3, but the Serbian player allowed Murray to go down 0-40, though he saved three consecutive break points. Murray had three more opportunities to break when he had the advantage, but missed them all. The defending champion saved one match point, but as the game dragged on for almost 15 minutes, Murray seemed to lose patience and ultimately lost after an inaccurate forehand shot.

This defeat caused Andy Murray to lose his world number two ranking to Roger Federer. It's a setback for him with Roland Garros fast approaching. As for Djokovic, this victory allowed him to surpass Rafael Nadal, becoming the sole holder of the record with 29 Masters 1000 titles.

Djokovic has won five of his last six Masters 1000 tournaments, and this is his third Masters 1000 title this year after Indian Wells and Miami.

According to VnExpress