Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray clash Monday for the U.S. Open title, the fifth consecutive year the men's final has been played on Monday.Dokovic is the defending champion and a five-time major champ, and Murray -- the reigning Olympic gold medalist -- is chasing his first Grand Slam title ... and the first for a British man since Fred Perry in 1936.
The matchup will feature dimension-changing movement and blistering returns. When it comes to defense, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are at the head of the class.
It might come down to who best can turn that spirit-crushing defense into opportunistic offense.
CBS has the broadcast (4 p.m. ET), or you can watch streaming at usopen.org.
4:14: Djokovic gets his first point on Murray's first service point ... banging deep groundstrokes and then coming in on a short one to bang in a volley winner.
4:13: Sloppy start for Djokovic. Looks annoyed in the wind, just as he did against Ferrer in set 1 of the semis. A forehand long gives Murray the break at love.
1-0 Murray.
4:10: Here we go. Djokovic, wearing all blue, serves first. On the ninth shot of the rally, Djokovic knocks it into the net. Murray gets the first point.
The wind is up, and it will be a factor.
4:05: Murray got Djokovic at the Olympics; Djokovic got Murray in a five-hour battle at the Australian Open.
4 p.m.: They are on the court. Warm response from the still-arriving crowd for both.
3:58: Andy Murray is in the tunnel for a pre-match interview with Mary Joe Fernandez: "The last time I played the final here I was very inexperienced and very young. I feel much more mature now."
3:53: Chris Botti, and his trumpet, play God Bless America, accompanied by a military band. Sounds good.
3:50: Spectators are filing in slowly, but it should be a full house by some time in the first set. Something to watch for: Wind. It's windy out there. Not as bad as Saturday perhaps, but 15 mph winds will be swirling, with gusts to 20 or higher (so says the Weather Channel).
Remember how poorly Djokovic handled the wind in the first set against David Ferrer? Murray fared much better in his semifinal win against Tomas Berdych.
