What happened in the Miami Open final of 2013 against Andy Murray which David Ferrer called the worst moment of his career 

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Andy Murray appeared in 21 Masters 1000 finals throughout his career, battling it out against the very best on the ATP Tour.

The British star won 14 titles at the Masters 1000 level during his career, a number that sees him sit fifth in the all-time list behind Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andre Agassi.

Murray reached four finals at the Miami Open, as he enjoyed real success in Florida, winning the title in 2009 and 2013.

The second of Murray’s two victories in the Sunshine State was controversial, to say the least, as he survived a dramatic match point to fight back and win the title.

His opponent in 2013 later described the defeat as the worst moment of his ATP career, as he came painfully close to clinching the win.

David Ferrer described his 2013 Miami Open defeat to Murray as the worst moment of his tennis career

Murray [2] and David Ferrer [3] entered the 2013 Miami Open with strong title ambitions, having enjoyed strong starts to their seasons.

The pair made their way through to the final without too much hassle, as fans anticipated a thrilling clash between two of the best players in the world.

• SF – Andy Murray beat [8] Richard Gasquet, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2
• SF – David Ferrer beat [15] Tommy Haas, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
• QF – Andy Murray beat [9] Marin Cilic, 6-4, 6-3
• QF – David Ferrer beat Jurgen Melzer, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
• 4R – Andy Murray beat [16] Andreas Seppi, 6-2, 6-4
• 4R – David Ferrer beat [13] Kei Nishikori, 6-4, 6-2
• 3R – Andy Murray beat [29] Grigor Dimitrov, 7-6, 6-3
• 3R – David Ferrer beat [32] Fabio Fognini, 6-1, 7-5
• 2R – Andy Murray beat Bernard Tomic, 6-3, 6-1
• 2R – Andy Murray beat Dmitry Tursunov, W/O

Powerful hitting from the Spaniard saw him secure a break early in the first set, before quickly adding a second as Ferrer stormed into a 4-0 lead.

The pair exchanged breaks before a horrific double fault for Murray at 0-40, 2-5, saw him lose the opening set in Miami.

Murray then took control during the early stages of the second, leading 4-2 with opportunities to break his rival’s serve.

Ferrer bravely hung in, breaking back, leveling things up at 4-4 as the Floridian fans watched on in awe.

The Brit wasn’t to be denied, however, as he stepped into another gear, clinching the second set 6-4, as they headed into a decider.

Momentum swung back and forth in the third until Ferrer secured himself a match point at 6-5, AD-40 on Murray’s serve.

It was there that Ferrer thought he had the title won, stopping play when he called a Murray forehand long.

Hawkeye showed Ferrer to be wrong by the smallest of margins as Murray survived, sending the match to a tiebreaker.

The Spaniard couldn’t keep up with Murray, as fatigue got the better of him, losing out in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-7, [1-7].

In an interview with SPORT years later, Ferrer was asked to pick the worst moment of his tennis career and gave an unsurprising answer.

“The Miami Open final when I lost against Andy Murray wasting a match point and I asked that Hawk-Eye Challenge that was out,” he said.

Did David Ferrer ever win a Masters 1000 title?

The Spanish star became known as one of tennis’ greatest ‘nearly men’ during his career, often losing out to the likes of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, and Murray in the sport’s biggest tournaments.

Ferrer lost six finals at the Masters 1000 level against members of the ‘big four’.

• 2010 Italian Open – David Ferrer lost to Rafael Nadal, 5-7, 2-6
• 2011 Monte-Carlo Masters – David Ferrer lost to Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 5-7
• 2011 Shanghai Masters – David Ferrer lost to Andy Murray, 5-7, 4-6
• 2013 Miami Open – David Ferrer lost to Andy Murray, 6-2, 4-6, 6-7
• 2013 Paris Masters – David Ferrer lost to Novak Djokovic, 5-7, 5-7
• 2014 Cincinnati Open – David Ferrer lost to Roger Federer, 3-6, 6-1, 2-6

He did, however, win one title, at the 2012 Paris Masters, taking advantage of a draw that opened up following early exits from Murray and Djokovic.

The Spaniard dropped just one set all tournament as he clinched his sole Masters 1000 crown in Paris, Bercy.

Ferrer retired from tennis in 2019 having won one Masters 1000 title, reaching a career high of number three in the world.