Djokovic salutes sporting Murray's time violation gesture
Djokovic was handed the warning by umpire Mohamed Lahyani after taking too long to serve at 4-2 in the final set.
Madrid: Novak Djokovic hailed Andy Murray as a fine ambassador for tennis after an act of sportsmanship saw the Scot plead for a time violation against the Serb to be overturned in Sunday's Madrid Masters final.
World number one Djokovic was handed the warning by umpire Mohamed Lahyani after taking too long to serve at 4-2 in the final set.
But Murray insisted it was his fault that his long-time rival had exceeded the time limit.
"I'm the one who kept him waiting. He was ready five seconds ago," Murray pleaded to the official in vain.
Murray takes blame for time violation. Djoker agrees. 😅#tennisgifs #MadridOpen @DjokerNole @andy_murray pic.twitter.com/d69z42bvKX
— Tennis Captions (@tenniscaptions) May 9, 2016
Djokovic went on to claim a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win.
After capturing a record 29th Masters title, Djokovic tweeted:
.@andy_murray really grateful and honoured to have witnessed your sportsmanship tonight. Tennis is lucky to have you as ambassador.Thank you
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 8, 2016