Djokovic needs no lessons in Murray’s improvement

By Simon Evans
MIAMI, April 3 (Reuters) - Britain’s Andy Murray takes on Novak Djokovic in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday and the Serb is the perfect witness to how much Murray has improved in the past 12 months.
After losing his first four matches against Djokovic, Murray beat the world number three at Cincinnati and Toronto last year.
“I loved the last two times against Andy, they were close matches,” Djokovic told reporters.
“All our matches have been pretty close but he has drastically improved in the last year or so.
“I think many things have combined for him. Physically he’s much stronger and has a lot of endurance out on the court.
“Even though he doesn’t look like he’s all boosted up when he is playing, because he doesn’t have that body language, he’s strong and has bigger muscles and runs all over the court.
“I get the feeling he can run a lot,” said Djokovic after his win over Roger Federer in Friday’s semi-final.
What will be of more concern for Djokovic is how well Murray is mixing up his shots.
“He changes the pace of the ball a lot. He is a smart, smart player. He doesn’t have any huge weapons, but is very solid with all the strokes,” Djokovic said.
Murray showed all those qualities in his three set semi-final win over Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro and, in his own modest manner, he is clearly happy with his form.
“I think each time you get to the final of a big tournament you’re going to be feeling pretty good about your game,” he said.
“I think if both of us play well, it’ll be a great match. I’m sure he feels the same way. I know I’ll have to play well if I want to beat him.
“The last couple of times I played him I sort of figured out a way to play against him; whereas before I struggled a little bit.
“I feel confident, and I’ve had a really good run so far this year. I am not going to put any extra pressure on myself for the match on Sunday though.
“I’m feeling good and I’m hitting the ball well, and I’ll try and do the same thing in the final.”
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)