Djokovic ended 2015 as the clear world no. 1 after collecting three of the four grand slams and begun 2016 by demolishing Rafael Nadal 6-1 6-2 in the Doha Final last week.
Advertisement
Nadal also won in two sets but in a more straightforward fashion, beating Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko 6-3, 6-4 in little over an hour.
The win also edged Djokovic in front in his head-to-head battle with Nadal with a 24th win in 47 matches.
The Serb, who had beaten Berdych in 21 of their previous 23 encounters, lost his very first serve and then faced another break point to go 1-4 down.
Jamie Murray enjoyed a good start to his new doubles partnership with Bruno Soares as they reached the semi-finals in Doha.
He posted 30 winners to only nine for Nadal in the 73-minute match.
“It’s true that I missed my serve more than I wanted to, but I really only played one bad game, at 4-3 in the second set”, Nadal told ATP’s official website.
But of much greater concern for Nadal was his inability to make any impression Saturday on the world No. 1, who scored his most lopsided straight-set victory in a decade-long rivalry that the Spaniard used to dominate. “Nobody is invincible”, Djokovic said.
“I’m very proud of the achievement and this particular stat, but I try not to think about what would happen if I would lose and not get to the final”.
He tried to remain upbeat immediately after the defeat saying he had made “a positive start to the season” before adding that Djokovic had played “at a level rarely hard to imagine”.
Rafael Nadal was comprehensively thrashed by Novak Djokovic in the Qatar Open final as the Serbian’s sensational run continued.
His form of 2015, where he won three of the four Grand Slams, has led to predictions that he could claim all four this year, a feat not achieved since Rod Laver in 1969. Apart from this tournament, Novak must have eyes on the Australian Open title as he must be planning to defend it.
“I saw him play during the whole week”, Nadal said of Marchenko. He is going to be travelling to Australia with me.
“So he’s one of the best players in the history of the game for a reason, and I’m sure that after last year’s season that was not up to his standards, he’s willing to do something else and improve his game”.
Advertisement
Djokovic erased memories of a quarterfinal exit in Doha previous year, capturing his sixth consecutive ATP World Tour title and 60th overall at the tour level.
