No, it is not only about the ferocious shots or the lean, mean (gluten-free) physique, but the sheer stamina with which he soldiers on to amass more and more titles.
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Following his straight-sets loss 6-3 6-3 to the World No. 1 Serb in the semifinals of the season-ending men’s tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Nadal was asked if he thinks about how he can beat the other top guys during the off-season.
But then, cometh the final, cometh the beast.
The Serbian made his breakthrough in the third game of the final and Federer just could not find the consistency he needed to counter his opponent’s relentless excellence.
The world No. 1 makes history as the first man to win the season finale four times in a row, claiming his fifth title overall having also won in Shanghai in 2008.
Federer has inflicted half of those defeats on Djokovic this year, including in the group stages here on Tuesday. After the match, all Federer could do was tip his hat to the way Djokovic stood firm, absorbing every blow without flinching, as Federer went down swinging.
He’s still just 28 and has 10 Grand Slam titles.
Murray could have been forgiven for turning his thoughts to the final in Ghent when he dropped the opening set and was broken twice in the second set. He has also drawn level with Federer in their head to head at 22 wins apiece and has a remarkable 82-6 win record for the year.
In 2015, he outdid his 2011.
Federer, bidding for a record-extending seventh title at the year-ender, was staring at the abyss when he trailed 3-4, 0-40 in the second set, but escaped by winning five straight points.
Judging from the way Djokovic is roaring, and the seeming lack of challenge, it won’t be long before he conquers France and maybe even manage a Career Golden Slam in the coming year. He reached 15 Finals, won 11 Titles – 3 Slams, 6 Masters 1000.
But the Scot’s position at the head of the chasing pack is testament to his impressive form on all surfaces, with ATP Tour title wins on clay, hard courts and the grass, leaving him ahead of Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal. Yet the Serb is determined to continue as he has been, insisting there is no sense of urgency about reeling in the leaders of the current grand slam generation, both of whom rate among the best of all time.
World rankings There was a bonus for an absent friend: defeat robbed Federer of the chance to leapfrog Murray and return to No2 in the world.
Yesterday’s victory was Djokovic’s fourth successive Tour Finals win, a first for the ATP Tour. “Got to keep practicing hard, being serious about all the things I do”.
“In the 2014 semis, Federer and Wawrinka had a bust-up”. 2013 was probably the worst, where he reached the finals of only two tournaments and won only one. Serbia will be willing him on for an Olympic gold at Rio. Early unforced errors and struggles on serve saw Federer broken in his second service game with a forehand into the net.
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“But… you never know what’s going on in the future”. That is good news because the world No 1 has looked unstoppable for most of this year.
