Murray in Shanghai Masters Final, Djokovic Crashes Out

Andy Murray is through to the Shanghai Masters final and will play Roberto Bautista Agut, after Novak Djokovic smashed his racquet and tore his shirt as he lost to the Spaniard. The world number one, 29, lost 6-4 6-4 to world number 19 Bautista Agut.

Murray reached his 10th final of the year with a determined 6-4 6-3 semi-final win over France’s Gilles Simon. The 29-year-old Briton, seeking his sixth title of the year, saw off world number 32 Simon in a confident display.

If Murray wins today’s final he will be just 915 points behind Djokovic in the annual rankings points, increasing his chances of finishing as the year-end world number one.

Having ripped his shirt open in frustration, Djokovic was further incensed at receiving a time violation when changing into a new one, raising the point forcefully with umpire Carlos Bernardes at the end of the match.

“He was the star of the show,” Djokovic said of the official. “That’s what he wanted to be today. But there are definitely things that I need to regain from the emotional, mental point of view.”

Djokovic, who has won the event three times and was also aiming to reach his 10th final of the season, said exhaustion may have played a part in his mood during the match. “I had to experience this sooner or later,” he said. “I knew I could not go on playing at the highest level for so many years all the time.”