Andy Murray developed his remarkable run on clay courts when he completed a stunning upset to dethrone home favorite Rafa Nadal 6-3 6-2 in the Madrid Masters final on Sunday and claim his 2nd title on the surface in a week.
Following up his debut triumph on the red dust on Monday in Munich, Murray denied Nadal a 3rd straight triumph in the Spanish capital — and record 5th overall — and raised fresh doubts over the Spaniard’s form heading into the French Open.
The Scot’s strong performances this week suggest he may be a real contender in Paris, when holder Nadal, who has struggled for consistency since returning from injury and illness, will be bidding for a record-extending 10th Roland Garros crown.
“To play Rafa in Spain is extremely tough and this is the reason why we play tennis for these matches,” Murray said after receiving the trophy from Spain’s Queen Sofia.
“It’s one of the toughest things in tennis to try to beat Rafa on clay,” added the 27-year-old. “I’ll keep trying to play well over the next few weeks with Roland Garros just around the corner.”
Murray had never beaten 3rd-seeded Nadal on clay in 6 attempts but raced into a 3-0 lead at the futuristic magic box arena and fended off three break points to close out the set.
The world number 3 broke Nadal more than once to open a 4-0 lead in the 2nd and finished him off on his first match point when the Mallorcan sent a weak forehand return into the net.
Nadal, 28, congratulated Murray for a “great season” and said he would try to keep working back to top form at this week’s Rome Masters before heading to the French capital.
“Obviously, this wasn’t the match I wanted or expected to play today,” Nadal said.
“Although it’s not nice to end it like this, it has been a very important week for me, very positive, in which I rediscovered sensations I had not had on a tennis court for a long time,” he added.
It was Murray’s 10th Masters crown and 33rd career title, while Nadal missed out on a record-extending 28th Masters and 66th title overall.
Sadly for Nadal fans, he needed a win to stay 4th in the world rankings and he will drop to 7 when they are updated, putting him outside the top 5 for the first time in a decade.
Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray, 10/05/2015, 17:15 GMT, Match Center
Madrid Open: Murray beats Nadal and triumphs with the title
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