Murray to check on shoulder problem before facing Djokovic in MWTC final

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Andy Murray is hoping a sore left shoulder will not prevent him from taking part in the MWTC final against Novak Djokovic.

    Andy Murray is hoping a sore left shoulder will not prevent him from taking part in a blockbuster clash against Novak Djokovic in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship finals on Saturday.

    – #360win: Tennis clinic with star MWTC player

    The Scot world No6 looked in peak form when he dismissed Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-0 in the semi-finals in Abu Dhabi on Friday but had winced a couple of times during the contest, grasping his left shoulder.

    Murray later revealed that it was sore and said he will undergo a scan by midday to determine the extent and seriousness of the problem.

    “I don’t know exactly what happened. I’ve never had anything happen to my left shoulder before,” said a bewildered Murray after his first victory over Nadal since Tokyo in 2011.

    “Obviously I use it on my backhand but not so much. I’ve never had an issue like that before. It’s pretty sore and at the end of the match when I was reaching out to sign autographs it was quite painful.

    “I’ve seen my physio, had some treatment and some ice and I’ll do some more treatment when I get back to the room and see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow.

    “It was quite a strange thing because I’ve never felt anything in my left shoulder before so we’ll have to wait and see what’s up with that.”

    Asked whether the issue might stop him from playing today’s final, Murray – the inaugural MWTC champion said: “I’ll need to see how I am when I wake up in the morning. That’s really the test.

    “I’m going to have an ultrasound scan tomorrow midday to check and see if there’s anything there or not then I’ll see what happens after that.”

    In a semi-final that was much tougher than the routine score line indicates, Murray saved 12 of 12 break points to dismiss Nadal in one hour and 28  minutes.

    The pair engaged in long back-and-forth games but it was Murray who proved clinical when it mattered.

    “The main thing is I have to improve, and I’m going to improve, I’m sure about that,” said Nadal, who is coming back from appendix surgery and had only played seven matches post-Wimbledon last year due to a wrist injury.

    “This match today helped me. It’s true it’s not a nice start with this result but seriously to me it doesn’t really affect me much. I tried, I played some good points out there. In a lot of points I felt I was dominating the point but what remained is that competitive spirit you need to end the point at the net, or with a winner, that’s something that only with competition I can improve that.”

    Inspired: Novak Djokovic felt the love of the Abu Dhabi crowd.

    In the third-place playoff today, Nadal will take on world No4 Stan Wawrinka, who was steamrollered 6-1, 6-2 by Djokovic in 57 minutes.

    It was a comprehensive victory for the Serb, who ended his 2014 season with nine consecutive wins, including titles at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris and the World Tour Finals in London.

    “Both matches today went pretty quickly, but the crowd was great, some big attendance, and Abu Dhabi has showed once again why they like tennis, very international crowd, you get inspired to play your best,” said the world No1.

    “It’s only the second day of the year, you’re motivated to play the best tennis you can, fresh, looking forward to the new season. I think that’s what Murray is feeling at this moment… me too.

    “He played exceptionally well today, I felt also good on the court and hopefully we can put up a good final for the crowd.”

    Recommended