4 Jan 2015

Djokovic withdraws in Abu Dhabi.

12:35 pm on 4 January 2015

World tennis number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the final of the Abu Dhabi tennis exhibition, handing Andy Murray his first victory of the season.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Djokovic had dismissed Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals of the exhibition event but the defending champion revealed he was suffering from a fever.

Murray had himself complained of pain in his left shoulder during his 6-2 6-0 win over Rafael Nadal in the last four.

The 27-year-old Scot says he doesn't know what caused the pain and hasn't experienced it previously.

Murray is set to undergo a scan before continuing his build-up to the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, at the Hopman Cup in Perth.

He will join Heather Watson to represent Britain at the mixed team event, with their opening match due to be against France on Monday.

Nadal shrugged aside his defeat by Murray to beat Wawrinka 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 in the match for third place on Saturday, in his first competition since undergoing an appendectomy at the start of November.

The Spaniard and Djokovic are both scheduled to open their official ATP season by playing in next week's Doha tournament, where Nadal is the defending champion.