Andy Murray celebrates a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Novak Djokovic in the Rogers Cup final in Montreal. The 28-year-old Scot will move into second in the world rankings for the first time since August, 2013.Eric Bolte
The grumblers claim men's tennis has devolved into a jumped-up serving contest, so this one was for all you nostalgic purists out there.
It is still possible to witness clever tactics, changes of pace, deft net play and jaw-dropping recovery shots. And it helps when Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are in charge of the spectacle.
With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal seemingly reaching the sunset stages of their careers, the big four seems destined to become the big two.
Murray and Djokovic have met at the semi-final or final stage of five tournaments this year (including two Grand Slams), and with his showing at this week's Rogers Cup, the 28-year-old Scot will move into second in the world rankings for the first time since August, 2013.
More significantly, in Sunday's final he beat the 28-year-old Djokovic for the first time in more than two years (6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in muggy conditions), snapping an eight-match losing streak.
"If I played myself from a couple of years ago, I think I would win today," Murray said after his first win over Djokovic, the No. 1-ranked player, since the 2013 Wimbledon final.
When the Serbian was asked if the match was an instalment of tennis's next great rivalry, he looked surprised. "It's not the next. It's already existing there for many years."
"It was a good-quality, high-quality match, generally. But this is what is expected. When we play each other, we always kind of take the best out of ourselves," Djokovic said.
Both men have been accused of being defensively minded, but this match wasn't about risk aversion. Above all else, it was a showcase of immense skill and mental toughness.
Take the fifth game of the third and deciding set, for example. Words such as "classic" and "epic" are often thrown around carelessly, but how else to describe it?
With Murray serving at 3-1 and intent on padding his advantage, the players locked in for a match-defining battle of wits.
Murray made it 15-0 with a devastating backhand winner and soon raced out to 40-15. Then Djokovic hammered an absolute peach of a forehand return for a winner. On the next point, Djokovic wrong-footed Murray with another spectacular forehand. Deuce.
That point had the crowd in full voice, but Murray wouldn't yield. He made another incredible backhand on the next point (earning a thumbs-up from Djokovic).
Then it was the Serb's turn to refuse to give in. He pressured Murray with a series of pounding groundstrokes and killed the rally with a soft, impeccably timed drop shot.
They were back to deuce, and would battle each other to a standstill eight more times in the game.
Murray staved off six break points and after almost 20 exhausting minutes he had managed to hold serve.
From there he was able to lurch into the winner's circle, but needed five match points to do so. When he finally raised his arms in victory, the match had just passed the three-hour mark.
"To win this one was nice … it would have been easy for me to let that one slip away," Murray said.
There's an unusual cordiality to the rivalry between the two men. Perhaps because it's been so lopsided: Murray entered the final having lost eight in a row to the Serb. Djokovic leads their head-to-head matchups 19-8.
On more than one occasion, Djokovic applauded his opponent's shots.
"I lost to a better player today. I lost to Andy, who I know very well," he said. That certainly appears to be true; the pair reportedly played basketball in the players' lounge this week. Djokovic won.
Tennis eyes now turn to the U.S. Open.
Murray has thrived since successful back surgery last year and after hiring former women's No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo as his coach – his third career Rogers Cup triumph was his fourth tournament victory this year (he also lost to Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open).
As it happens, Mauresmo gave birth to a baby boy earlier Sunday.
"I don't know if she stayed up to watch … but this one's for you Amélie," Murray said after accepting the giant $685,200 (U.S.) winner's cheque on the stadium court.
Earlier Canada's Daniel Nestor made his first Rogers Cup doubles final appearance in seven years with new partner Édouard Roger-Vasselin of France.
The 42-year-old Nestor and Roger-Vasselin lost to American twins Bob and Mike Bryan in a match tiebreak (6-7, 6-3, 6-10). It was the Bryans' 109th career title.
The Torontonian has played a record 27 times at the Rogers Cup, and said afterward he has "no idea" whether it was his last stop in Montreal.
"Four years ago at the Olympics, I said there was no chance I would play Rio. Now it looks likely that I will play. I can't make any predictions," he said.