It will be cold comfort to the perfectionist Andy Murray, who lost the epic final of the Qatar Open 6-3 5-7 6-4 to a rejuvenated Novak Djokovic, but he has actually extended his ranking lead over the Serb to 630 points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okHh7qkdqdo
Although loss brought the World No.1’s incredible 28-match unbeaten run to an end, the fact Djokovic won the Qatar Open last year means he simply retains the points – while Murray didn’t compete in 2016 and, consequently, picks up an extra 150 points.
It means the Scot will remain top seed for the Australian Open, which kicks off next week. However, he will need to at least reach the semi-finals in Melbourne to stay king of the castle. That said, his excellent record down under of reaching the final hurdle certainly bodes well.
Image: Doha Stadium Plus Qatar on Flickr