Qatar Open 2017 Winner: Novak Djokovic Begins 2017 on a High with a Victory over Andy Murray in the Final

January 9, 2017

The Serbian star has been crowned the Qatar Open 2017 winner after beating the world’s No. 1 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

(Image credit: Eurosport)

A string of underwhelming performances last season have seen Novak Djokovic lose his number 1 status to main rival Andy Murray, but he’s managed to bounce back in great fashion at the start of the new year by overcoming the Briton in Doha final to become the Qatar Open 2017 winner.

Despite lifting the golden eagle trophy, the game wasn’t set in stone as Murray fought hard throughout the final which saw the Serbian lose some grip with three match points. At one point it even seemed Djokovic would not be able to fight off the energetic Murray, but in the end he seemed to have mustered up the energy to overcome his main rival and be crowned the Qatar Open 2017 winner.

“Best scenario I could ask for at the beginning of the season,” commented Djokovic, who previously held the world’s No. 1 rank for a total of 223 weeks, before relinquishing the spot to Murray.

“Playing all five matches in this tournament and then three hours against No. 1 of the world, biggest rival, and winning in a thrilling marathon match. It was a really, really thrilling performance from both of us. Just a great way to start the year.”

The victory over Murray has only intensified the rivalry between the pair, who are set to take on the Australian Open a week from now – it begins on January 16, 2017. After being crowned Qatar Open 2017 winner, Djokovic has retained favourite status to win the tournament, which he has won in the two preceding years.

To add to that, the Serbian sensation has enjoyed his greatest success on Australian courts out of all the grand slam competitions, by lifting the coveted trophy on six occasions (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016), so it’s really no surprise that Andy Murray has been branded as an underdog for the upcoming competition.

Back Novak Djokovic with Bet365 Sports!

The Qatar Open 2017 winner Djokovic is the man to beat at the Australian Open with odds of 2.37 (11/8), while Murray is second in the running 2.62 (13/8). Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal are both third on the odds chart 13.00 (12/1), while Roger Federer and rising star Milos Raonic are fourth favourites 17.00 (16/1) to be crowned champions of the first ATP Grand Slam tournament of 2017.

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The Qatar Open 2017 winner’s odds for clinching all four Grand Slam titles this year are unlikely 17.00 (16/1), but you might want to consider placing a wager on him collecting One Title 2.75 (7/4), Two Titles 3.00 (2/1) or even Three Titles 5.50 (9/2).