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ATP World Tour Finals 2016: Djokovic and Murray to duel for No.1 in season finale

Linda Pearce

London: The bank advertisement that stretches prominently across the back wall of Tullamarine Airport's departure hall features two bold images of a famous tennis face and the words: "Novak Djokovic. World No.1." While Andy Murray may finally have usurped his long-time rival in the ATP rankings at the Paris Masters last weekend, it seems others are taking a little longer to catch up.

Understandably. Back in June, the fact that the year-end top spot could come down to the season's final tournament was almost unthinkable, so decisive was Djokovic's 8000-point lead. The relentless, almost untouchable, Serb had just become the eighth man in history to complete a career grand slam, with that emotional French Open triumph ensuring he was also the first since Australian Rod Laver 47 years earlier to hold all four majors at once.

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History the motivator for Novak Djokovic

The chance to equal long-standing records was the driver for Novak Djokovic as the world number 1 defeats Andy Murray to win his sixth Australian Open title.

Scraps, anyone?

And yet, at this week's ATP World Tour finals, it is Djokovic not just doing the chasing, but also a little bristling; challenging the opening assumption at his pre-tournament media conference that he has been feeling below his physical and emotional best. 

"What makes you say that?" the second seed countered. After clarification from the local questioner, based on the fact that that Djokovic had admitted to having had both injury and personal issues in the five months since he left Roland Garros, he continued: "I am my normal self every day. I was talking about having certain ups and downs that every person has, but [to suggest] I am not myself emotionally, physically last couple of months is too rough of a statement.

"Especially because I thought I had a good couple of months. It hasn't been up to the standard of results that I've had in the 12 to15 months before that, but in sport you can't always expect to win and of course the high standard of results and success that I've had in the past couple of years probably has taken its toll a little bit – that  I didn't get to recover I guess as fast after French Open and to be ready to compete on the highest level after that.

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"I had to dig deep, and obviously take some time to reflect on everything because it was an incredible achievement. But on the other hand it took a little bit of time to get back on track. I played well at the US Open, I thought, playing finals there, winning Toronto and unfortunately that injury took me off from Olympic Games, but all in all it was a very good year that I'm proud of and I am here in London obviously to try to crown this year with the best possible result."

So there. Downgrade Djokovic at your peril. Indeed, look at his year outside the comparative confines of the remarkable previous few, and it has still been excellent: seven titles, including the Australian and French Opens, and a 61-8 win-loss record should require no caveats. Still, since June, starting with that shock early loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon, the numbers have been as muted as his demeanour has been variously lacklustre and agitated.

Not that the polished performer has been anything but gracious about being overtaken by Murray, his rival since childhood, and so it was again in Greenwich on Friday. Despite some online bile from his supporters, Djokovic insisted he has "only praise" for the Scot's career-best claycourt season, his second Wimbledon title, Rio gold, and now 19 consecutive match wins and four titles – while more reluctant to be drawn on how long it can last.

"[Murray] has had an incredible run and he is definitely a well-deserved No.1 at this point because he's been the best player of the last six months without a doubt," said Djokovic, who opens against eighth seed Dominic Thiem on Sunday. "Whether or not he can sustain that it's not a question for me, but looking at the qualities he possesses as a player, but also his determination, which is very impressive, there is a good chance he can still play at this level for some time."

Speculation he is planning to part ways with co-coach Boris Becker at the end of the season was sidestepped with talk about the pair's collaboration this week, but avoided rather than dismissed. As to where finishing No.1 for a fifth year out of six ranks among his priorities, compared with, say, adding to his 12-slam haul, Djokovic declared results to be just one measure of his success. Others include whether he feels healthy enough at the end of a season to play with his two-year-old son, Stefan, apparently. This one, however challenging at times, will be over soon enough.

Motivation is not an issue, he insists, despite a demanding decade in the top 10, and so much success, for the good days when determination is at its most fierce still outnumber the less good. "I still feel I have lot of, I guess, gas in my tank and I feel like I still a lot more years ahead of me. I really do," he said. "I feel great joy when I compete, when I play.

"Practice days make [up] probably 80 per cent of our season, and  that's where you really need to really get that inspiration and get that drive going on a daily basis so you can maintain that level of determination and really be able to compete on the highest levels in tournaments like this, and fortunately for me at this stage I don't have that problem."

As unfamiliar as his second seeding may be, the five-time champion at the prestigious season finale can be confident of another semi-final appearance, at least, given a remarkable 23-0 record against round-robin opponents Milos Raonic (7-0), Gael Monfils (13-0) and Dominic Thiem (3-0). Yet if he falters, Murray is poised to take advantage, despite being drawn in the stronger of the two pools, inevitably dubbed a soccer-stye "Group of Death".

The player whose successes had already ended multiple British tennis droughts (the US Open, Wimbledon, and as the ironman of last year's Davis Cup triumph) has reached new levels of consistency and few would begrudge him the extra slice of history that would come with finishing a career-best year at the rankings summit. Personally, this has already been "by far the best year that I've had in my life", said Murray, who left his brother Jamie, the doubles world No.1, to fly the family flag at Friday's England-Scotland World Cup qualifier while he watched at home in Surrey with wife Kim and baby daughter Sophia.

"I don't really feel any different coming to the tournament this year from the other years that I played except that maybe I'm a bit better prepared this year than the last couple of seasons," said Murray, who opens against the dangerous Marin Cilic on Monday night, and has just a trio of semi-final appearances to show for seven previous qualifications.

"But, look, I've said these last few months that I expect Novak is going to start playing his best tennis again. Obviously these last couple of months he hasn't, but before then he'd been playing great for … it wasn't months, it was years he was playing great tennis. So for him not to play his best for a couple of months, I'm sure for him it's not too much to worry about and I'd imagine shortly he'll be back to playing his best tennis, and he obviously played extremely well here in the past. I think he's won here the past four years, so there's no reason to think that he won't have a really good tournament."