The plan for world No 1 Andy Murray was to get some victories under his belt – in Abu Dhabi this week and next in Qatar – before next month’s Australian Open, where he hopes to finally win a title.
The first part of that plan hit a snag on Friday, when the Scotsman – who takes the Sport cover for the Saturday, December 31, 2016, edition of The National – fell to No 11 David Goffin in the semi-finals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships.
Still, as Jon Turner writes, the plan is for victory in Melbourne.
“A five-time losing finalist in the past seven years, Murray’s Melbourne misery is well-documented,” Turner writes. “However, given his remarkable end to the 2016 season that produced a 26-match winning run, five consecutive titles and a rise to world No 1, next month’s Australian Open represents the Scot’s best chance of clinching an elusive first title.”
Murray will take on Milos Raonic on Saturday in the third-place match, while Goffin awaits Rafael Nadal, who fought Raonic off in the other semi-final.
In the fifth-place match on Friday, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Tomas Berdych.
Stick with The National for coverage of Saturday's final.
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