Paris Masters final: Andy Murray thrashed by Novak Djokovic

The world No 1 won 6-2 6-4 in the French capital

Andy Murray in action at the Paris Masters (GETTY IMAGES)

Andy Murray has all but guaranteed his position at No 2 in the year-end world rankings, but the gap between the Scot and the only man above him continues to prove all too tough to bridge. Novak Djokovic beat Murray 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the Paris Masters yesterday to continue his remarkable rampage through both the 2015 season and the autumn record books.

In becoming the first player in history to win six Masters Series titles in a single season, Djokovic extended his current unbeaten run to 22 matches, during which he has won the US Open, China Open, Shanghai Masters and now Paris. The Serb has won 10 titles this year and reached the final of every tournament he has played since the first week of the season.

Djokovic’s domination in indoor competition and in the latter months of each season is extraordinary. He has won his last six indoor tournaments and in the last four years has lost only two matches in the period between the US Open and the end of the campaign.

Although Murray beat Djokovic this summer for the first time since the 2013 Wimbledon final, this was the Scot’s 10th defeat in his last 11 meetings with his long-time rival. With Djokovic hitting the ball with great consistency and retrieving Murray’s best shots with some stunning defence, the outcome became predictable as soon as the Serb broke to love in the third game.

While Djokovic made regular inroads into Murray’s service games, breaking again to go 5-2 up and for a third time in the third game of the second set, Murray did not force a break point until he trailed 2-1 in the second set. Taking more risks, he finally broke back and led 3-2, only for the world No 1 to make his last and decisive break two games later.

Considering that he had never previously gone beyond the quarter-finals in this tournament, it was a good week’s work for Murray, but there must be some concern over how much he has left in the tank going into the last three weeks of the season. He is due to play in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, which start in six days’ time, and in Britain’s Davis Cup final away to Belgium the following week.

Murray, who knows Roger Federer will have to win the title in London to have any chance of replacing him at No 2 in the rankings, plans to practise on clay at Queen’s Club from this afternoon until Thursday in order to reacquaint himself with the conditions for the Davis Cup final. However, it remains to be seen how his back will react to the change of surface. He has had problems switching to clay in the past and may yet be forced to withdraw from the World Tour Finals.

Nevertheless, Murray said he was feeling positive about his fitness, having recovered well from a back problem he suffered when beating Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals on Friday.

“My body feels good,” he said. “I feel like the breaks that I took after the last Davis Cup tie and after Shanghai have done me good and managed to keep me fresh, physically and mentally.”