Dominant Djokovic Retains Title

Djokovic retains World Tour Finals title

Novak Djokovic has won the ATP World Tour Finals for the second year in a row after defeating Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-3 6-4 at the O2 Arena in London.

In a very dominant display Djokovic claimed his second straight win over Nadal, after victory by the same scoreline in the Beijing final, and means that Djokovic ends the year on a 22 match winning run.

It is the World Number 2 third success at the tournament for the having also won in 2008 and 2012.

The result leaves Nadal still waiting for his first World Tour Final having now been beaten in two finals however despite this disappointment it has possibly been his greatest year finishing with 2 Grand Slams and the World Number 1 ranking.

Nadal never really looked comfortable on the night whereas Djokovic, whom the indoor environment favours, looked right at home. The Serb started brilliantly gaining a 3-0 lead however a missed break point opportunity appeared to have changed the momentum as Nadal came storming back to 3-3. But Djokovic dug in from the Nadal onslaught and held for 4-3 before powering on to capitalise on 2 double faults by Nadal to gain the break and serve out the set.

The length and pace of Djokovic's play was just too good for Nadal during the first set and this continued into the second. Nadal's forehand was becoming ever looser as the unforced error count rose and Djokovic soon had a break and a 2-1 lead.

Nadal fought on and saved two break points to stop going further behind but in the end Djokovic was too strong and when another Nadal's forehand went wide the Serb had the victory.

Nadal was certainly not at his best with 4 double faults, 23 unforced errors and only 9 winners illustrating the trouble he was having.

This is a rivalry that now holds a 22-17 head-to-head advantage to Nadal however it is nicely poised for 2014. The battle between the two is sure to continue with the next possible meet being at the Australian Open in January, where Djokovic is the returning champion. Nadal was absent in 2013 but the two did meet in an incredible final back in 2012, one which Djokovic won in 5 sets in over 6 hours of playing time.

So plenty to look forward to as the battle between these two continues into 2014 and thats not to mention the return of Andy Murray to the fold as well as improving players such as Juan Martin Del Potro and not forgetting the great Roger Federer, can he mount a serious challenge in 2014?

I personally can not wait to watch it all unfold.

Djokovic Battles Past Federer

Djokovic serves to Federer

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer for the second time in a matter of days to start to defence of his ATP Tour Finals title in style.

Djokovic claimed a 6-4 6-7 6-2 victory over the World Number 6 in front of a capacity crowd at the O2 Arena in London. This result keeps Djokovic's slim hopes of returning to World Number 1 alive for a little bit longer. 

This match was the headline act of an already action packed day and the men who have a total of 23 Grand Slams between them did not disappoint.  However Federer could not match the consistency of Djokovic from the back of the court and on serve at the crucial moments in the game. 

Despite both mens success it was obvious from the start that the majority of the crowd were supporting Federer, who despite a disappointing season always has massive support around the world. 

After a tight start which had seen the score at 4-4, Federer managed to manoeuvre a break point chance however his forehand shot just dropped out much to the disappointment of his supporters within crowd of whom the majority thought it was in. 

This miss was compounded as Djokovic then broke Federer after some wayward forehands to hand the World Number 2 the opening set in 37 minutes. 

At the beginning of the second set Federer came out firing but despite breaking Djokovic on two occasions he could not take advantage. At 5-4 Federer was serving for the set however another loose forehand saw him miss the opportunity to seal the set. 

On to a tie-break, and Federer steamed into a 4-2 lead with a stunning forehand that just brushed the line. Federer went on a win the next 3 points and send this match into a deciding 3rd set.

Having only played two days before in his victory at the Paris Masters it appeared that maybe Djokovic was struggling. He was visible angry with himself at the end of the second set. Maybe a chance for Federer to push on and use the forward momentum he appeared to have but such thoughts soon disappeared as Djokovic broke to love in the first game of the third set, which set the scene for what followed.

Djokovic suddenly upped a gear and powered his way to a 5-1 lead breaking Federer twice. Now serving superbly and finding the lines with ease he closed out the set to love to extend his winning run to 18 matches since his defeat in the US Open final back in September. 

The defending Champion looks on course to retain his title and after witnessing his performance today it is hard to back against him. I had never really appreciated just how good he is until I saw him live in this match. Personally I just think he will be too strong for anyone in the competition. 

For Federer it highlighted the problems he has been having all season however he has certainly improved of late. He did not play that badly it was just at the key moments he faltered. I expect him to beat Richard Gasquet however Juan Martin Del Potro with be a very tough match.