ATP World Tour Finals: Andy Murray eliminated after 6-0 6-1 thrashing by Roger Federer
Friday 14 November 2014 09:11, UK
Andy Murray was knocked out of the ATP World Tour Finals in emphatic fashion after being thrashed 6-0 6-1 by Roger Federer on Thursday evening.
The British No 1 headed into the contest knowing he needed to beat Federer in straight sets in order to progress to the semi-finals of the season-ending event in London.
But he was not given a sniff by a simply irresistible Federer, who inflicted a clinical and humiliating defeat in just 56 minutes, maintaining his own perfect group-stage record in the process.
Murray looked in danger of suffering the dreaded 'double-bagel' after losing the first 11 games and falling 0-30 behind on his own serve in the 12th, but he fought back to secure a solitary hold and add a crumb of respectability to the scoreline.
However, in a tournament of one-sided matches, Murray now has the unwanted distinction of having endured the worst defeat since the event moved to London's O2 Arena in 2009, while it was his heaviest loss for seven-and-a-half years.
As they entered the arena, a packed crowd roared their approval for both players - Federer receiving marginally the more rapturous reception, as Murray probably knew he would.
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Murray won the first two points on the Federer serve but then lost an epic rally and from there, things unravelled in double-quick time.
Swing freely
Federer knew before the match he was already through but a set would see him top the group and, in all likelihood, avoid Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
He could swing freely while Murray knew he had to be aggressive but he could not land a first serve - just seven in the first set - and too often he found the net or the extremities of the court.
From deuce in the second game, Federer won 14 points in a row to lead 5-0 and Murray could not prevent the embarrassment of a love set.
It was the first-ever love set in the 23 matches between the pair, and all the more remarkable considering they had been tied at 11-11.
With his hopes of progressing over, Murray's attention turned to trying to salvage something, but the longer the match went on, the worse things got for him.
He had two chances to win a game at 3-0 but Federer simply would not take his foot off Murray's throat and it was not until the penultimate game that he finally got on the board.
"It was a very tough night and not ideal from my side of the net, far from it," said Murray. "Roger played exceptionally well.
"I can say I am disappointed with how I played but, even if I had played well, he probably still would have won. He made very few mistakes and was hitting it very cleanly.
"He was loose, he was obviously through and he was able to try some shots. Everything he tried came off."
Murray added: "I know I am going to have to put a lot of work in if I want to start the season with an opportunity to win in Australia. I won't forget about what happened, I want to think about it and use it.
"The one good point is I have six or seven weeks to work on some stuff. I would normally take a break at this point but I need to work on some things, so I'll try to put in some time on the practice court."
