This was a tale of three sets.

Once upon a time, Murray was a talented player, but one that lacked the stamina to win 5-setters.  He started to change this in late 2007, when he hired Miles Maclagan, but more importantly, Jez Green, Andy Ireland, and the rest of his team that would get his fitness level up, and keep it up year-round.

Once Murray teamed up with Lendl, he would use his superior fitness to build a strategy that was designed to take the legs away from his opponents.  Lendl wanted Murray to be able to move the ball side to side, to put his opponent on a yo-yo.   There’s, of course, no one harder to do this to than David Ferrer, perhaps the fittest player in all of tennis.  You might be able to outhit Ferrer, but it’s hard to be fitter than David Ferrer.

The first set was Murray struggling to stay in the match, with Ferrer getting multiple breaks to get a 5-0 lead.  Although Murray did get one break back, he lost the set, 6-2.

The second set started better with Murray getting chances early, and then breaking in an early game, and holding that lead to take the second set, 6-4.

The third set was more reminiscent of a women’s match with only 4 holds of serve in a set that ended in a tiebreak.  The first four games were four breaks of serve.  By the time there was a hold to 4-3, then another hold to 4-all.

Murray tried to take the legs from Ferrer who needed massages during change-overs.  Ferrer even had a chance to close out the match with a match point on Murray’s serve.  Murray hit a deep shot that Ferrer decided to challenge.  The ball clipped the line, and Murray managed to hold serve.

The tiebreak went all Murray with a mini-break at the start, then two holds by Murray, then another mini-break before Ferrer won another point.  Murray took the match on an errant shot, 7-1 in the tiebreak.

This is Murray’s second Miami title.

Given the grinding nature of this match, it makes you wonder how it would have been as best of 5.  The men’s game has become so physical that even best of 3 matches are wearying.

Congrats to Andy Murray, reaching number 2 in the world, just ahead of Roger Federer.