It was the world number one’s fifth title overall at the tournament – one short of Federer’s record – and was the flawless 48th birthday present for his coach Boris Becker.
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You could say that.
“I will try to do as well as I’ve done in the last couple of years, always peak at the right moments and always try to perform my best at the biggest events”.
It was a re-match of the Wimbledon and US Open finals – and a repeat of the result. That’s all we can do. “So that’s what I’ll do”.
Murray had four double-faults in the match-up and was just 22 of 51 on his first serves. Djokovic defeated Spain’s Rafael Nadal, 6-3 6-3 in the semifinals and continued his dominant run to the title without falling a set for the entire tournament in London.
He also praised the runner-up on the day, Federer, saying that he was a complete player and added that his returns on the day to his opponent’s serve was much better as compared to his loss last week to the 17 time Grand Slam champion. I had my chances to at least be even. But I thought he played well.
Then there is Federer – one can pick from any of his three-Slam seasons to nominate as his best; I’d opt for his 2006, when the Swiss maestro compiled an unbelievable 92-5 record, during a season that solidified his great rivalry with Nadal. When you are playing bad, you are playing bad in all the surfaces.
All year, players have found it impossible to unlock the formula to upstage the Serb.
Novak Djokovic has set his sights on surpassing his nearly flawless year by winning the only two major titles to have eluded him – the French Open and Olympics. “He doesn’t look old for me”.
A celebratory shower of blue-and-silver confetti rained down from above as a grinning Novak Djokovic raised the World Tour Finals championship trophy then gazed around the roaring crowd crammed into the O2 Arena. “You’re here to watch Roger and Novak”. Djokovic quickly responded with four straight points to take a 5-4 lead.
Djokovic’s consistency throughout 2015 was astonishing and the way in which he dominated all phases of the game – including the most crucial battleground of all in sports, that of players’ psyches – was incredible considering the increasingly physical nature of the sport. Why did he play that way? “I’d like to give myself credit for that”.
“I can’t predict the future”. Usually the guy who walks out first decides which side he wants to sit on.
The takeaway: Djokovic was able to muster what he most needed when it most mattered. “I know I have to be on top to win against him”.
“A great match, I really enjoyed it”, Federer said after his win on the hard court of London’s O2 Arena.
“I think I was a few levels under him at the beginning of my career”.
Djokovic said he didn’t feel unbeatable. “Tomorrow, I don’t know where I going to be”. Tried my best this week. It’s just attractive tennis.
“This is a sport I love truly with all my heart. Those are the two regrets I have”, he said. “It allows me to have the longevity”.
The Scot finished a superb exchange at the net with a fine sliced lob to set up two set points and on the first one Ferrer netted a routine backhand. If Andy Murray claimed that “marriage works” after he won the Madrid final in May, just wait until he sees what fatherhood can do for him.
Tomas Berdych, after being eliminated, on who would go on to win the tournament: “I [always choose] Roger, so let’s try something different. Rafa is basically looking pretty good”. He won 16 of his 19 offerings (84 percent), twice as good as Federer’s 9-for-21 (42 percent). The moments where I should have gone safe, I didn’t, and vice versa. If he keeps going like this, he could end up transferring the mantle of GOAT – or Greatest Of All Time – from Federer’s shoulders to his own.
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“That doesn’t mean that we’re going anywhere. I don’t deserve vacation this year”. Of course, I care about it.
