Another victory, another record in sight for Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic put down a marker of his intent with a 7-6 (4), 6-2 straight sets win over Casper Ruud in his first match at the ATP Finals.
It was, however, anything but straightforward. The World Number 1 was made to work hard for his victory, dropping his opening service game to the 22-year-old Norwegian - a product of the Rafa Nadal Academy.
Djokovic fought back to level in the sixth game and from then on, it was a battle of nerves and some exhibition-style tennis with Ruud showing us why he fully deserves his spot in the prestigious tournament.
Despite having set points on Ruud's serve at 5-4, Djokovic made some uncharacteristic errors and vented his frustration at failing to clinch the set. To his credit, Ruud held his ground brilliantly to take it to 6-6 and a fitting tiebreak.
A cat-and-mouse game followed with both players exchanging mini-breaks. The Serb eventually prevailed, sealing the set with a brilliant down-the-line winner.
Read More
Djokovic kept his foot on the gas in the opening game of set two, breaking Ruud's serve in style and going on to consolidate the break. The 34-year-old sealed the young gun's fate with an insurance break and romped to take the set 6-2.
After the match, Djokovic was presented with a trophy to celebrate finishing the year as World Number 1. He has now achieved this feat an incredible seven times, setting an all-time record. Until now he had shared this accolade with his hero Pete Sampras.
He said in Italian in his post-match interview: 'I’ve won this trophy seven times, one more than Sampras, it's incredible. I hope to play this sport for a couple more years.”
A title in Turin would give Djokovic a sixth ATP Finals title - drawing him level with Roger Federer. The way Djokovic has been sweeping the records in the past couple of years, you wouldn't want to bet against him.
Please follow Tennisbuzz on Twitter and Instagram, and you can like us on Facebook by clicking here.
For more exclusive content from Tennisbuzz, including news, features, trivia, promotions and more, please be sure to sign up for our newsletter below or via our home page.
Why not test your tennis knowledge by tackling one of our fiendish quizzes too?
