Novak Djokovic did nearly everything in 2015, and he concluded his season on Sunday with a win over long-time rival Roger Federer at the 2015 ATP World Tour Finals. 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. This week was great again, fantastic year all round. He earned $21.6 million on the court this year. Instead, his only concern was his opponent. We’ve played so many matches. “There are the Olympic Games that are happening every four years”, he said. If I can, I would pick obviously grand slam wins, especially Wimbledon and the US Open. He was about to make it five.
Advertisement
After losing the to Serb in the ATP Finals 63, 64 yesterday, Federer explained.
The warning signs were there from the opening game when Federer was forced to save break point, roared on by a buoyant London crowd who made no apologies for clearly favouring the world No 3. While it failed to live up to expectations as a contest, it was the purest of demonstrations as to what Djokovic has become.
With Federer now 34, Nadal struggling and Murray not always present in the conversation at the top, what – or who – is there to stop Djokovic from dominating any old way he wants?
The victory brought their overall head-to-head record to 22 wins apiece, while Djokovic has won five of their eight meetings this year. Djokovic is as strong as an ox, as supple as a gymnast and there is not an identifiable weakness in his game.
“Even though it’s never fun being on the not-winning side, it’s better than not paying at all like previous year”, said Federer, who pulled out of the 2014 final against Djokovic with a back injury. Mentally you have to be at your peak at all times.
Peter Bodo has been covering tennis for over 35 years, mostly recently for ESPN.
But in his 15 consecutive final, the Serb resumed normal service tonight as he broke Federer twice to take the first set in 39 minutes.
But while Djokovic just completed a year of dominance, it was also a year of disappointment for several other players.
The only tournament in which he did not reach the final was his first of the season and his haul included three grand slams and six Masters series trophies. That’s the most points ever accumulated and the gap between first and second is a big as it has ever been. But perhaps his serving was the most effective element of the game: he made 16 of 19 second serves. The only one where he didn’t? He plays very quickly.
Djokovic lost to Federer in the group stages of the tournament earlier in the week but it was a different story when they met again on Sunday, with Djokovic’s pinpoint returning and unfailing groundstrokes proving too much for the Swiss.
Where does he go from here?
Had Djokovic won the French Open, there would surely be no argument about it being the best season in tennis history. 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.
It was always going to be an uphill battle for Federer after that. The 29-year-old Spanish tennis star said he doesn’t think about the other players on tour when he is practicing.
What the ATP World Tour really needs is new blood. The youngest competitor was Kei Nishikori at 25. “It inspires me even more to keep on going and hopefully playing on this level in the future”.
Advertisement
For Djokovic, it was a season to remember. It’s up to the rest of the tour to match him.
