Andy Murray wants the crowd to play their part in cheering him on to victory at ATP World Tour Finals
Andy Murray is fighting it out with Novak Djokovic for the World No1 spot and knows victory in the ATP finals will see him end the year as top dog
ANDY MURRAY is urging the adoring O2 crowd to roar him to ATP Finals glory.
The Scot’s ascent to No 1 in the world rankings — and his fight with Novak Djokovic to be top dog at the end of 2016 — have captured the public’s imagination.
And with no Davis Cup final to extend his season, Murray will feed off his fans to make one last push.
He said: “It helps I have got a rest after this and I am playing for something this week.
“I don’t have a Davis Cup final in a couple of weeks’ time which could potentially be distracting.
“It is the best atmosphere I have played in since I have been here.
“It means you do get up for the match a bit more and get the adrenaline pumping. That makes a big difference.”
Murray, 29, will need all that support this afternoon when he takes on Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the man who put him out of the US Open in the quarter-finals.
That felt like a match too far for the Brit after his exertions in the summer.
It was also revenge for Nishikori after a crushing Olympic semi-final defeat and for having fallen just short in a five-set Davis Cup epic with Murray in March.
Nishikori, who beat Murray for the first time at the O2 last year, said: “That Davis Cup match was one of the turning points for me.
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“I almost beat him and that gave me great confidence.
“At the US Open I managed to beat Andy for the second time — it was a great experience.
“I learned a lot from those two tournaments.”
Murray expects to learn more about how head coach Ivan Lendl and assistant Jamie Delgado will gel as a partnership when they meet for off-season training in Miami before the year’s end. Murray said: “During the Wimbledon period, when Ivan first came back, he took the lead and it was quite new for Jamie, but the off-season will be good.
“I think both of them will have gained each other’s trust, especially with what I have done since the US Open. Jamie has been there the whole time. We have not been able to do loads these last few days on the practice courts, there has not been much time.
“It will be good to see how they work together in a training environment.”
The Murray family remains on course for the dream double of both brothers becoming world No 1. Jamie and Bruno Soares beat the Bryan brothers 6-3 6-4 to boost their hopes of toppling Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert as doubles top dogs.
The Frenchmen lost their first match on Monday.
TODAY’S ORDER OF PLAY — Noon: H Kontinen & J Peers v R Klaasen & R Ram. 2pm: A Murray v K Nishikori. 6pm: P-H Herbert & N Mahut v F Lopez & M Lopez. 8pm: S Wawrinka v M Cilic.