Andy Murray prepared for the upcoming US Open by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final of the Cincinnati Masters after the Serb retired with a shoulder injury.
Murray, who is 5/1 with bookmaker to win in New York, was ahead 6-4 3-0 when Djokovic pulled out to hand the British number one his seventh Masters title. The defeat was only the world number one’s second of the year but it is concerning ahead of the last Grand Slam of 2011, which begins on 29th August.
However, Murray was delighted to win the title, which bodes well for his chances in Flushing Meadows after a topsy-turvy few months.
“It was good,” he said. “I thought the standard towards the end of the first set was very good, a lot of long rallies.
“He started off a little bit slow, made quite a few mistakes early on but the way I ended it was the perfect preparation for the US Open.”