New World No. 2 Murray Beats Del Potro for Montreal Title

by Staff | August 16th, 2009, 5:46 pm
  • 17 Comments

Scotland’s Andy Murray outlasted tired Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro 6-7(4), 7-6(3), Sunday in the final of the ATP Masters tournament the Rogers Cup.
ADHEREL
Del Potro was seeking his second consecutive title after last week beating Andy Roddick in the Washington final.

It was the fifth title of the year for Murray, who with the win ascends to the world No. 2 ranking for the first time, bumping down Rafael Nadal who has had to sit out much of the 2009 season with knee problems.

“It’s tough thing to do, because Roger and Rafa are the two best maybe of all time,” Murray said after his semifinal win which vaulted him into the No. 2 spot. “So yeah, it’s pretty special to get between them…bar winning a Slam, I’ve done enough to justify being [ranked] two, and you know, getting closer to hopefully one day becoming No. 1, which is one of my goals.”


Del Potro called for the trainer up 6-5 in the second set, after which the match turned. The Argentine, who grew up on clay, was appearing in his first Masters Series final and says he likes hardcourts just fine.

“My game is better in this surface,” Del Potro said. “I can play with my serve, with my forehand. I don’t like to run too much, and I don’t like the low points. So I prefer hardcourt.”

It was the ninth match in 13 days for the fatigued Del Potro.

Murray also became the first Britain to win the Canadian Masters event, and improved to 11-4 against top 10 opponents this year.

India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas beat Max “The Beast” Mirnyi of Belarus and Israeli Andy Ram 6-4, 6-3 in the doubles final.


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17 Comments for New World No. 2 Murray Beats Del Potro for Montreal Title

puckbandit Says:

I’m not sure if this is even worth noting, but Nadal did not sit out “much” of the 2009 season. He won the Australian and then dominated on clay until the French. Yes he has been out since then, but both Feds and Murray have been out since Wimby so much of the time away was an overlap with other player’s time off. that being said, it is the main reason Murray is able to leap frog him, but not the only one.
Hoping all the top players are in form for the USO. What a tournament that is shaping up to be!


Dave B Says:

I have never been a big fan of Del Potro (or Murray for that matter) but I think Del Potro needs to go back to the drawing board and train as hard as Murray and Roddick. If he does, he may well be number one for a long time.


Daniel Says:

Congrats to Murray! N. 2 and holder of 4 MS on hard at the same time.


Dan Martin Says:

JMDP being 20 and just having reached his first slam quarter 11 months ago is still learning his body and what it takes to win at this level. He no doubt needs to take it up a notch but at 6’6″ or 6’8″ as Gilbert claims he also needs to be careful to condition in a way that does not mess with his legs and hips. Being tall complicates this some. Yes get in shape though and win big young man.


Giner Says:

“It’s tough thing to do, because Roger and Rafa are the two best maybe of all time,” Murray said after his semifinal win which vaulted him into the No. 2 spot. “So yeah, it’s pretty special to get between them…bar winning a Slam, I’ve done enough to justify being [ranked] two, and you know, getting closer to hopefully one day becoming No. 1, which is one of my goals.”

—-

Federer among the best two of all time? Yes. Nadal? As much as I like him, that’s a stretch.

It’s still a big achievement though to reach #2, with #1 not out of the question either. He’s still the only top 5 player not to have won a slam, but I don’t expect that distinction to last long. If he defends Cincinatti, he’ll be my clear favourite to win the Open.


Colin Says:

In fairness to Del Potro, the Montreal scheduling put him at a disadvantage. Murray played his semi in the early afternoon, while Del Potro didn’t play his until the evening. Murray thus had several hours more to recover for the final.
By the way, I wish the media could decide exactly how tall Del Potro is. I’ve seen and heard of heights several inches different.


margot Says:

Come on Andy!! All the way to the USOPEN!!
Colin: for goodness sake!! You play the cards you are dealt, that’s it!


Veno Says:

Good to see you hyped Margot…Your boy delivered the goods, again. Got to respect that and he’s deservedly at number 2 now. Cincy will be tougher for him to win, but he’s one of the faves obviously.
Although I’m no fan of watching Andy M play I have to give credit where credit is due. He looks in great shape…


tomas Says:

“Federer among the best two of all time? Yes. Nadal? As much as I like him, that’s a stretch.

It’s still a big achievement though to reach #2, with #1 not out of the question either. He’s still the only top 5 player not to have won a slam, but I don’t expect that distinction to last long. If he defends Cincinatti, he’ll be my clear favourite to win the Open.”
————————

Murray so far seems to be a very good three-set player with all the MS titles lately, but somehow that hasn’t translated into Slam win yet. He was considered a real contender and hyped up for Australia, then Wimbledon, and he fell short both times, despite winning the MS tournaments leading to these events.
So what will happen this time around at the US Open ? Don’t know, but maybe if he loses Cinci, his luck might change. :) Otherwise, if he wins Cinci and loses the US Open again, it could be a curse.


GeorgeV Says:

I absolutely hate Murray and his game – basically because he’s such a passive player, waiting and biding his time for his opponent to screw up. Regardless, that is a skill and he deserves to be where he is, and I have no doubt that he could be # 1 soon. Unfortunately, my boy, Djoko, who, btw exhibits great sportsmanship – another example of which we saw in the game against Roddick when he suggested Roddick challenge a call when he had a game point, is sinking in the rankings.


Steve@TennisNewz Says:

Good effort by Del Potro. After Washington it looked like he’d be too tired to get through the semifinals but he had just enough in the tank to get through to Murray.

I was actually expecting Murray to stick to the gameplan a lot more in this match. He started out great but started hitting through the ball too much just like Roddick did and when you’re playing a tall guy who wants to end points quickly, setting the ball up right where he likes it isn’t the best plan. Against a guy playing like that try to move him around and keep it as low as possible to make him bend and wear the legs down even more. Worked out for him in the end but Del Potro was able to hang in there for a lot longer than expected. Good to see him taking this week off to recover.


i am it Says:

“Roger and Rafa are the two best maybe of all time,” Murray said. this is tantamount to saying murray is one of the three best of all time? is that where he was going at? next he says “it’s pretty special to get between them…bar winning a Slam.” a one slam? it is bar winning 15 slams. it is bar winning 6 slams especially on all surfaces. it is bar winning 15 masters series titles. it is bar breaking more than hundred records. how delusional is it to say he is between them? in what respect? bar winning everything these roger and rafa have achieved? it is a jab at both of them, more at roger for sure. i suggest him to compare himself with tommy haas who is a former number 2. murray may not be top 2 or 3 from the bottom in tennis history. delusion.. delusion….delusion…keep deluding.


jane Says:

i am it says “how delusional is it to say he is between them? in what respect? ”

He is between them in the rankings; nothing delusional or complicated about that. Murray is the first guy to bust up either Rafa or Roger at number 1 & 2 in over four years. That’s pretty darn good. And he hasn’t even won a slam yet. But he will…

Lots of hate for Murray on these threads – not sure why, but I guess we all have our proclivities, which is fine.


margot Says:

Hi jane : nice 2 c u! Yes, am continually surprised by “hate” expressed about Andy M. on these threads. Intelligent magical shot making obviously isn’t good enough, people seem to want him to have some sort of Mary Poppins personality as well….I hope he doesn’t go all the way in Cincy, would like him to be a bit more rested for USOpen. Apparently he was holding his ribs at the award ceremony.
People are also dissing his 5 set record too, obviously reaching the US final last year just doesn’t count. Talk about the critical parent!
Anyway, enough of an Andy rant! Hope Djko gets himself together and finds his starry form. Bye.


jane Says:

margot, nice to see you too. I put a smile for you on one of the threads after Murray won the Montreal title. I think Murray’s style of play is unique so it attracts a lot of comments. But I also wonder if a lot of the dislikers are Federer fans, and thus their dislike for Murray may stem from a loyalty standpoint? Anyhoo… I hope Andy M wins a slam soon so he can silence the critics who think he will not. To me, it’s just a matter of time. Look at his slam record: he gets closer each time. At the USO, he got to finals last year, and Wimbledon he got to the quarters in 08 then semis in 09; at the French he went his deepest ever this year. At the AO he lost sooner than expected, but to be fair, he ran into the hot player (Verdasco) who almost took out the champion, Rafa. He was also struggling with flu. So, all told, he’s on the right path. He’ll win a slam, I am certain. And more than one, at that. Cheers!


tomas Says:

“he gets closer each time.”
—————————-
OK, then he’d better win the US Open this year. The star is aligned for him. He’s number 2 and can’t meet Federer until the final. Nadal is injured. Djoko is struggling. There are still others but he should be able to manage.
And if Fed and Murray get to the final, trying to win a first for Murray should be less pressured than a 6th (history making … again) for Fed.


margot Says:

jane: thanx again! My computer doesn’t pick up smiles, dunno why. Re them being Fed fans, it’s possible especially as Andy M is on record as saying Rafa is the player he most admires, this may have influenced Andy’s style of play too, I guess.

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