World No 1 Andy Murray will be looking forward to two vital things at the moment – firstly, consolidate his numero uno position atop the men's singles tennis rankings and ensure he ends the calendar year as the No 1 and secondly, make an impact in the ATP World Tour Finals 2016 – a competition where he has not been able to make a mark in his career so far.
The Briton takes on long-time rival Marin Cilic in his opening game of the competition on Monday at the iconic O2 Arena in London, UK.
Cilic, ranked 7 in the world and the winner of US Open 2014, comes into the match after recording a win over Murray earlier this year at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati. They faced each other twice so far in 2016 and the head to head record stands at 1-1 for the calendar year.
The ATP World Tour Finals 2016 now gives both a chance to go one up over the other and get the bragging rights.
Murray has been completely sensational this year, as not only did he overtake Novak Djokovic to clinch the No1 rank, but he also bossed the previous four ATP tournaments in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris. Oh and we forgot to mention about his Wimbledon 2016 and Rio 2016 Olympics wins.
The 29-year-old was eliminated in the group stages of the ATP World Tour Finals in in each of the last two years in London, but this time, expect him to go a notch higher. Cilic, meanwhile, enjoying his career best ranking at the moment, will not be an easy challenge as he got major wins over Djokovic and Kei Nishikori earlier over the previous weeks
Andy Murray vs Marin Cilic: a comparison
| Murray | Cilic | |
| Age | 29 | 28 |
| H2H | 11 wins | 3 wins |
| Height | 191 cm | 198 cm |
| Career titles | 43 | 16 |
Schedule
The men's tennis singles match is set to get under way around 8:15 pm GMT (1:45 am IST [Tuesday]) on November 14.
Where to watch live
India: No telecast.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1. Live stream: Tennis TV, Watch Sky Sports.
Live scores HERE.
