Novak Djokovic won his first title of the year by dominating Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-2 in the Qatar Open final on Saturday.
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Having lost to Djokovic in last year’s final at Melbourne Park and in the 2011 and 2013 title-deciders, Murray is hoping that Djokovic’s form lapses this time around. Without any doubt, he is the number one player winning three Grand Slams in 2015 and reached the final of this one. The defending champion is one win away from his 89th career title. How can I go against Djokovic?
The Serbian on his part was thankful that he was able to beat Nadal in straight sets.
The world No1 by a country mile, Djokovic, is the dominant force in tennis, a position encapsulated in the 12 months since he last played in Doha. Thrusting a fist toward coach Boris Becker, Djokovic played with the precision of a man capable of delivering the knockout blow at will.
“I’m playing the tennis of my life, and I will try to nurture and cherish those moments on the court”.
RESULT:Singles final (1) SRB Novak Djokovic bt (2) ESP Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-2.
It wasn’t just his ability to hit winners that stood out―Djokovic’s return game was impeccable in the first set, just as it was for most of 2015.
Clearly, Djokovic has owned the rivalry as of late, winning eight of the past nine matchups. Nadal survived a pair of three-setters, outlasting fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 and Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. “Since I know this sport, I never saw somebody playing at this level”, Nadal said.
Turning his shoulders into his shots, Djokovic spread the court effectively breaking serve as Nadal could not land his first serve. I gave up [only] five or six break points in my matches and some of them could have been avoided.
“This is exactly how I want to start the year, playing in the finals of the first tournament against one of my biggest rivals and I’m looking forward to that”, Djokovic said. I think I played a great third set, because if not, I will not be in that semifinal.
Djokovic was full of praise for Nadal in his post-match press conference, describing the Spaniard as one of the best to ever pick up a racquet.
The task of the size at hand for the world No. 1 was manifest during the opening game.
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“I’ve been close many times and that’s my number one goal”, he said. “All of the physical tests I’ve done have been good, I’m just missing a bit of sharpness just now”.
