It is the fourth time in a row that Djokovic has taken out the World Tour Finals, and the fifth time in his illustrious career.
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“It’s not my No. 1 priority”.
Federer threatened to spoil Djokovic’s closing party by inflicting a straight sets defeat in the group stages of the ATP World Tour Finals.
Fittingly, the Year of the Djoker concluded with closing championship chapter.
But Djokovic’s 11th title of the year ends a phenomenal year for the Serbian, who lost just six times and failed to reach a final in a tournament he entered only once during the last 12 months.
“Obviously very proud for the achievements this season”. The best of my life and without these guys and without the support of my closest family I wouldn’t be managing to get to where I am. I’m just trying to cherish every moment at this level.
This was the eighth meeting of the year between Djokovic and Federer, who played off for both the Wimbledon and US Open titles, both won by Djokovic.
“Those two rivalries made me a better player, the player I am today, no doubt”, Djokovic said. “For me, Rafa (Nadal) is the unique player in the field”.
Commentator David Law noted the omens were not good for Federer, who has only ever beaten Djokovic once after going a set behind.
“Well done to Roger for making it such a difficult match – I’m sure we will have plenty of hard matches next season”. Roger is certainly the player that has challenged Novak the most this year.
The serve set the tone. At least he was able to take to the court, which was not the case a year ago when back problems forced him to withdraw ahead of the final, handing Djokovic the title. Novak was especially dominating on the second serve.
“It is never fun on the not winning side, but it is better than not playing at all like past year”, Federer said. Doesn’t need much, you know. “Hopefully better one for me”.
“I’ve got to keep pushing forward, got to keep practising hard, being serious about all the things I do”, he said. Ferrer and Berdych, like half of the top-10 ranked players, are 30-something.
This wasn’t just a World Tour Finals rematch.
And in the following game he had his chance again, but this time they were match points.
Like in his semi-final against Stan Wawrinka, Federer was not afraid to rush the net.
On the court, both Djokovic and Federer had break chances in the opening two games, but both managed to save them. The top seed hit a flurry of backhand winners towards the end of the match, and wasn’t intimidated by Federer’s constant approaches to the net. The Swiss sailed an overly-ambitious backhand down the line on his second break point; Djokovic held on for 4-2.
Federer showed a few magic in the second, thrilling the crowd by remarkably recovering from a 0-40 service game, but overall pointed to his serve as an issue.
Losing to Djokovic in the semifinals doesn’t diminish that rare late-season success.
By contrast, Federer was coming under more constant pressure on his own delivery, and he finally cracked in the 10th game.
Djokovic is aware that he has had a brush with perfection this year, and it has left him somewhat humbled – and hungry to continue his pursuit of the state. Djokovic dipped a drive at his feet forcing Federer to shovel a half-volley miss as Djokovic seized a one-set lead. This was in evidence during Sunday’s final against Federer, as Djokovic seemed to be out of several points only to redirect precise shots from seemingly impossible angles, frustrating Federer.
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Credit Federer for hanging tough. He was barred from participating in the French Open that year because of his commitment to play World Team Tennis resulting in one of the biggest “ifs” in tennis history – would Connors have won the calendar year Slam that year had he been allowed to play at Roland Garros (Bjorn Borg went on to win his first of six French titles that year)?
