Novak Djokovic stunned at The O2, claiming a straight-sets victory over Roger Federer to claim a record fourth straight ATP World Tour Finals title.
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He would have captured a calendar Grand Slam had Stan Wawrinka no been in the “zone” in the French Open final. With a seventh title, he would naturally extend all of them, but also maintain his challenge for year-end No2 over Andy Murray.
He also became the first player to reach all four grand slam finals in a season since Federer in 2009 and the first player to top the rankings every week of the year since Federer in 2007.
On Tuesday during round robin group play, the Swiss legend ended Djokovic’s 38 match win streak on indoor hard courts using his variety to break down the world’s top ranked player.
These two, then, were giants of the game, and with a 2015 back-story to add another dimension to their rivalry.
The latest victory, his 82nd of the year, evens the head-to-head record against Federer at 22-22.
Although an 82-6 win-loss record is inferior to John McEnroe’s 82-3 in 1984 and Roger Federer’s 92-5 in 2006, for example, that is clearly not the only measure.
This year, Djokovic made it look nearly as simple as he wrapped it up in 80 minutes. His athleticism and tactics combined in a ruthless mix of attack and defence. “I’ve lost against Roger three times this year”.
Then there was the crowd, which had chanted and sung around the echoing O2 for half an hour after Federer’s win. If anything, it merely steeled his determination. It would be his last moment of glory at the London tournament until next year. Federer not only held, but straight away had the chance to break, too, but failed to convert.
The result means after 90 matches against Federer and Nadal, Djokovic is tied with both. “But it’s obvious that it’s true if somebody can do it, it’s him, but it’s not easy to stay at that high level four or five years in a row”.
Not that Federer’s first ace helped a great deal.
Djokovic’s win drew him level with Federer on 22 wins each in their career rivalry.
This time he could not pull off a miracle, double-faulting on Djokovic’s second match point.
It could not have been a better finish. There is literally no weakness in his game at this point: his serve is much improved and is now a definite weapon, his forecourt play which was previously a glaring weakness is now tidy and his ability to turn defense into offense has remained unparalleled. A long forehand from Djokovic handed Federer a slim lifeline, but an unforced error from the Swiss maestro on the volley gave the Djoker the lead.
Federer afterwards confessed: “It’s not much fun being on the not winning side, [though] it’s better than not playing at all like past year”. Across court was the only man to have beaten him a couple of times this year.
The 11th title of Djokovic’s astonishingly dominant campaign served as the ideal finale to arguably the best run by any male player in the Open Era. Thought I played some great tennis, even in the finals: some points were insane. But Novak deserved the win today. The six-time champion roared back from 0-40 down in the eighth game with his most dynamic tennis of the day.
“Overall [this season has] been as close to perfection as it can get”, Djokovic said.
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“I’m obviously very proud, together with my team, for the achievements of the season”, Djokovic told Annabel Croft afterward. “When you are growing up, you are dreaming to play tennis in tournaments like this and to fight for the biggest trophies in sport”. But right now you would think it is somewhat possible, but you can’t just repeat a year like this.
