They were playing their second tiebreaker in as many sets, Andy Murray versus Novak Djokovic for the 2013 Australian Open title. Murray was serving and following a feather descending on the court, the Scottish player was never the same.
After the feather's appearance, Murray committed a double fault, which increased Djokovic's tiebreaker lead to 3-1. Quickly after, Djokovic took the set winning the tiebreaker 7-3.
Could this feather have changed the fate of Murray's game and completely shifted his focus? We don't want too be superstitious, but Murray was a completely different player after he saw the feather.
Murray had battled back in the first set and completely dominated the tiebreaker winning it by the score of 7-2. Momentum had clearly shifted to his side and Djokovic looked completely lost on the court. Djokovic was committing unforced errors by the tons, which had probably kept Murray alive in the first set.
No player had broken the other's set until the third set when Djokovic took command of the game. By this time, the feather was long gone. Djokovic was steam rolling Murray and connecting on everything. Meanwhile, Murray was long on forehands and backhands while short on volleys.
Murray's attack at the net was rare and Djokovic was controlling the pace of the game.
If the feather isn't to blame then, maybe, it was Murray's blisters which hampered him during the second set of this match. Following the tiebreak, Murray had a trainer look at his right foot, which was taped up and it was apparent that the No. 3 ranked player in Men's Singles was in pain.
If it wasn't the foot, then maybe it was his hamstring which tightened up as the temperatures quickly dropped into the 60's in Melbourne, Australia. Murray was in physical pain and he could not hide this from the televisions, fans and especially Djokovic who immediately noticed.
Djokovic had Murray running sideways like a madman. Murray, unfortunately, could not reach these balls despite desperate attempts.
If Murray was from Boston or Chicago, this feather would become famous or infamous. However, Murray lost this Open because of his in-game injuries and, hey, you can't take anything away from Djokovic, he made adjustments and took advantage of a weaker opponent.
Djokovic captured his third consecutive Australian Open, while Murray missed a chance to capture his second straight Slam title.
In the end, this feather will be overlooked as Murray will look to bounce back following this Australian Open defeat. If anything, it will become another storyline in the history of matchups yet to come between Djokovic and Murray.
