Andy Murray
Andy Murray reacts. Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros - Richard Gasquet of France v Andy Murray of Britain - Paris, France - 1/06/16. Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes

Andy Murray beat archrival Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 Sunday evening at London's 02 Arena to clinch the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals besides finishing the year as the world No.1.

Murray and Djokovic had not squared off since the French Open final in June, which saw the Serbian beat the Briton to secure his career Grand Slam. Since then, Murray won the Wimbledon while Djokovic lost the US Open final to Swiss star Stan Wawrinka.

Murray, 29, is officially the 17th player to hold the prestigious year-end No.1 ranking since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973. Since 2004, Roger Federer (2004-07), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010, 2013) and Novak Djokovic (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) have dominated the No.1 ranking.

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Andy Murray on top of the world

Djokovic, who retained his No.1 ranking for 122 weeks, was surpassed by Murray earlier this month. And now, Murray has seemingly justified the top spot by beating the Serbian. Could Murray's rise to the top be viewed as a changing of the guard?

“I’m happy to get the win today and finish the year No. 1. It’s very special, and something I never expected," Murray said after Sunday's win which extended his undefeated streak to 24 matches.

Murray, who still trails 24-11 in meetings against Djokovic, emphasised the importance of beating his rival to claim the No.1 ranking. In the aftermath of the Nadal-Federer rivalry, the Djokovic-Murray rivalry has picked up steam over the last five years or so.

"It was a big, big match against someone that would be my main rival really throughout my career. We played in all of the Slam finals, Olympics, and now a match to finish the year number one. It was obviously a big match, a very important win for me," Murray said after the monumental victory, according to AFP.

Djokovic, who won four of the previous six ATP World Tour Finals, said he lost to the better player on the day. “More than anything, he (Murray) felt comfortable in the rallies and exactly knew what to do. On the other hand, I hesitated, and it didn’t work," the Serb said after the loss, per New York Times.

Andy Murray will now try to win his first-ever Australian Open in January. He has lost in the Finals on five occasions, four times to Djokovic (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016) and once to Federer (2010).

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