Andy Murray ended the year as world No 1 after a dominant victory over Novak Djokovic in the ATP World Tour Finals decider in London on Sunday. But the week produced more storylines than just the race to be the best player on the planet.Here, we pick out the key conclusions from the O2… World Tour Finals: The verdict Marcus Buckland, Barry Cowan, Annabel Croft, Peter Fleming, Mark Petchey and others Murray can dominateSundays final was not simply a match to decide who would win the title and end the year as world No 1. It was a glimpse into the sports immediate future and a test of whether Murray is capable of staying top of the rankings in the coming years. Murray spoke to Marcus Buckland, Annabel Croft and Gred Rusedski after beating Djokovic After several months of patchy form, Djokovic had looked back to his imperious best on his route to the final and although his level dropped considerably over the following one hour and 42 minutes, the ruthless manner in which Murray dispatched him 6-3 6-4 suggested a tennis axis has shifted.Murray was fatigued and under immense pressure, yet he outplayed Djokovic to such an extent that it seemed he has not only met the standard required to be No 1, but raised it. A period of domination potentially beckons.Djokovic still out of sorts, but will be backDjokovics rapid and clinical progression to the final was so impressive that many analysts tipped him to beat Murray and snatch back the world No 1 ranking, but those predictions fell flat in a nervous and error-strewn performance that the Serb himself described as very poor. Highlights of Murray v Djokovic Djokovic held a 24-10 head-to-head record over Murray going into the match and had beaten him in two Grand Slam finals this year, so such an abject display suggested he is not yet over his struggles of the past five months.However, Djokovic remains one of the fiercest competitors currently active in any sport and is close enough to Murray in the world rankings to make a fightback in 2017 more than feasible.Raonic a potential future No 1Murray may have taken the title and the acclaim, but it shouldnt be forgotten how close he came to being knocked out in the semi-finals, when he fell a set and a break down to Milos Raonic and then had to save a match point in the third-set tie break. Milos Raonic edged Murray in this superb 20-shot rally in the semi-final Raonic also gave Djokovic a scare in the group stages, losing in two tie breaks, and although his record at the tournament was only two wins and two defeats, his results were good enough to lift him to No 3 in the world.Of more significance, however, were the pedigree of his performances. His serving and groundstrokes were unplayable at times, and if he can just become more adept at moving forward to the net, he could become as big a threat to Murrays No 1 ranking as Djokovic.Thiem a potential Grand Slam winnerAnother player who impressed at the O2 was 23-year-old Austrian Dominic Thiem, who was effectively a wildcard entry taking the place of the injured Rafael Nadal. Dominic Thiem steps up to the SkyPad to talk through his match against Gael Monfils He defeated Gael Monfils in three sets, took a set off Djokovic and forced Raonic to a tie break in an impressive weeks work that hinted he is the most exciting young player in the sport and could mature into a Grand Slam winner.Long way back for Roger and RafaThey are former No 1s who together once dominated the sport and later formed part of the Big Four with Murray and Djokovic, but Nadal and Roger Federer now find themselves down in ninth and 16th in world rankings respectively. Rafael Nadal is now world No 9 Their fall has been largely due to injury, but with Murray having raised his level, the likes of Raonic coming through and Stan Wawrinka now regularly winning Slams, the road to returning to the top four - let alone world No 1 - looks a long and tough one.Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. Hurry, offer ends December 4. 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Birmingham, Ala. -- Maurice Smith, a former student-athlete at the University of Alabama, has received a conditional waiver to Southeastern Conference rules that will permit Smith to transfer to the University of Georgia to pursue a graduate degree while having the option to complete his final year of athletic eligibility in either 2016 or 2017, with provisions dependent on the achievement of Smiths stated academic objectives should he play in 2016.Graduate transfer rules were established with the intent to be grounded in the academic interests of the student-athlete, said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. This conditional waiver permits Maurice Smith to receive financial aid to pursue his stated academic goals at the school of his choice while connecting his athletic participation directly to those goals.Georgia requested the SEC make an exception to two SEC bylaws for Smith, one that requires incoming transfers to have at least two years of eligibility remaining and the second that requires student-athletes that transfer from one SEC institution to another SEC institution to sit out a full academic year prior to competing.The standard for granting waivers has been clear and compelling evidence that there is reason for allowing an exception to SEC rules, Sankey said. I found, among other contributing factors, that a student-athlete who graduates in three years and exhibits a strong commitment to his or her academic future provides compelling motivation to help them achieve their goals on and off the field.An institution has an obligation to provide opportunities for graduate student-athletes to earn a graduate degree. Similarly, student-athletes have accountability to the universities that are providing the educational opportunities they enjoy. Maurice has clearly and passionately stated his desire for a graduate degree in Public Health. The conditions of the waiver allow him to achieve that goal and provide the institution with greater incentive to make his educational interests a priority.The waiver grants Smith a graduate-student exemption to SEC Bylaw 14.1.15 (Two-Year Eligibility) which requires a student-athlete to have at least two years of eligibility remaining to be eligible to receive financial aid, practice and compete. Based on the waiver, Smith will be allowed to receive financial aid and practice with the Georgia team immediately. Smith is reequired to enroll in his stated degree program, the Master of Public Health graduate program, as a full-time student and must earn all possible Academic Progress Rate (APR) points for each term of his enrollment.dddddddddddd If the APR points are not earned, the university may not utilize the graduate-student exemption in football until after the 2019-20 academic year.The waiver also grants provisional relief to SEC Bylaw 14.5.5.1 (Transferring within the Southeastern Conference) which governs intra-conference transfers. The bylaw requires a student-athlete to spend one full academic year in residence at the institution to which he/she is transferring. The conditions of the waiver state that Smith may play in 2017 as outlined by the bylaw, or he may play in 2016 contingent on completing at least nine credits of graduate level coursework in his degree program during the fall 2016 semester, and ultimately achieving his stated goal of earning a graduate degree in Public Health.Should Smith play in 2016 and fail to complete nine hours of coursework, he will not be eligible for post-season competition. Should he fail to graduate prior to the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year, Georgia would be precluded from requesting a waiver of either the two-year eligibility requirement or the intra-conference transfer rule for a graduate transfer in football until the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year (three years) or Smiths graduation from the graduate program, whichever comes first.Our SEC institutions adopted the intra-conference transfer rule in 2000 due to concerns that the transfer of current student-athletes within the conference would be viewed as unhealthy for student-athletes, the institutions and the conference alike, so this waiver is not granted lightly, Sankey said. The University of Alabama vigorously defended this SEC rule for good reason and has assisted this process in every way. The current rule places our coaches and administrators in untenable situations so it is time for us to address graduate transfer rules. An individual university does not possess the authority to activate that change, so adherence to these rules and the process by which exceptions are sought remain critical for every institution in the SEC. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '