Roger Federer earned what would become the final point of today's Dubai final against Andy Murray with a series of cross-court forehand blasts, and he'd win that point—giving him his fifth title in the U.A.E.—with another big forehand. But the 30-year-old, if not in his prime than not that far from it, put himself in that position with a more diverse shot selection. Of the two finalists, I would consider Murray to be the more creative player, but Federer has made a career out of conjuring winning tennis, and he was the more creative player today. In my mind, that played a significant part in the Swiss' 7-5, 6-4 win.
Federer was tested early on by Murray, who possesses one of the best backhand passing shots in the game, which we saw when the Scot led 3-2. He eventually got to 15-40, but failed to covert either break point and wouldn't see another that set. Federer would see five, all with Murray serving at 5-5. They were earned with slice backhands, looping backhands, flat forehands, and deep topspin. But Federer's best shot was his return of serve—twice in the 10th game he earned break points which short returns that forced Murray to come forward. Murray nonetheless won the first point, but on the second he couldn't handle a backhand volley, giving Federer what would be the decisive break of the set.
Federer served well to take a one-set lead, and did for most of the match—he was broken once in the second set, but got it back shortly after. Along with Federer's array of shotmaking, Murray seemed to be on the defensive more than usual, if that's possible. But he was unquestionably reacting—as opposed to creating—more so than in his semifinal win over Novak Djokovic. Federer took advantage of that, winning both sets a game after he broke Murray. It's Federer's seventh win over Murray, who still leads their head to head, 8-7.
What does this all mean? You can say that it doesn't really matter, seeing that Slams are what truly matter to both men, and that Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are the top dogs at them, until proven otherwise. And there's something to be said about Murray failing to follow up his win over the world No. 1 with a title. But overall, this week was another step forward for Federer and Murray, two players who, if not the Top 2, continue to remind us that they aren't far behind.
—Ed McGrogan