ITA. This was a "must win" match for Djoko. Way more important for him than Murray. Why?
1- Only slam he was holding. Essential to protect his #1 ranking
2- AO is his best slam, best surface, best event with Miami (and Beijing). Losing there would be much more disappointing than any other event, and worrisome for the rest of the season.
3 - Murray is currently his main rival (except on clay). Losing 2 slams in a row to him would certainly be regarded as a shift of power, especially since Murray does even better on grass and fast hard (W and USO). Losing that match would have given Murray the impetus he needed to chase after #1. And that momentum shift would have been tough to counter
So this victory was much more important for Djoko (not even mentioning the record issue) and I'm glad he got it. This was crucial to keep his ascendant over his main rivals. Djoko is now in a great position with a win over Fed at WTF and one over Murray at AO.
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