Andy Murray will end 2016 as the number 1 tennis player in the world, following a straight-sets victory (6-3,6-4) over Novak Djokovic at tonight's ATP Tour Final in London. It is a fitting end to a superb year for Murray, which included another Wimbledon title along with Olympic gold.
It means that the top tennis player in the world at the end of a calendar year is someone other than Djokovic, Federer or Nadal for the first time in 12 years.
In winning tonight, Murray also made him on odds-on to win a third BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, the most absurdly coveted individual prize in world sport.
Of course, one of the most interesting aspects of watching top-level tennis in a wealthy city is the opportunity to do some star-gazing at the directors' box.
Interestingly, the list of celebrities in attendance appeared online during the match, and here it is. It's quite interesting to see how some celebrities are more equal than others.
Here are the celebs attending the #ATPFinals today for Murray v Djokovic pic.twitter.com/qbBKK0hCrd
— Metro Sport (@Metro_Sport) November 20, 2016
Poor Riyad Mahrez: last season's Player of the Year stuck with a politician, and at the bottom of a list with Miranda Hart ahead of him.
Also, it appears that Gerard Pique and Kevin Spacey got on quite well:
I'll be honest, I did not know Gerard Pique was mates with Kevin Spacey pic.twitter.com/b4Akp2BiSs
— Eoin McDevitt (@EoinMcDevitt) November 20, 2016
Kevin Spacey and Gerard Pique watching on at the #ATPFinals
Follow on @BBCTwo 📺 @5liveSport 📻 & here: https://t.co/Sj3R24cKsu pic.twitter.com/p6kwvHcqXC— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 20, 2016
Woody Harrelson was sitting in the same box, although apparently not sitting with Spacey.
Woody Harrelson enjoyed that from Andy Murray.
Follow the #ATPFinals
on @BBCTwo 📺 @5liveSport 📻 & here: https://t.co/5oEiezSuPX pic.twitter.com/NNs5cdLHLM— BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) November 20, 2016
Clive Owen got one of the best seats in the house, however, even ahead of Spacey and Harrelson. Perhaps his sporting pedigree of, er, narrating Being: Liverpool swung a better seat for him.
Celebrities in the house.
Actor Clive Owen is watching on at the #ATPFinals
With serve so far.
📺 📻 & text: https://t.co/5oEiezSuPX pic.twitter.com/mZcOelJago— BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) November 20, 2016
Here's the moment Murray clinched victory:
CHAMPION! The moment @andy_murray became #ATPFinals champ and year-end world No.1. https://t.co/BmumqVcmrF https://t.co/jdB1oNRNdj
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 20, 2016
