Novak Djokovic's most dominant wins in 2018
After missing the second part of 2017 due to an elbow injury, Novak Djokovic tried to make a return without surgery at the beginning of this year but he had to undergo a small intervention at the end of January in order to finally play pain-free after a long period of time. The results were not there for the player who dominated between 2011-16 in March and April as well, entering Rome with a poor 6-6 score and dropping out from the top-20 for the first time since October 2006! Djokovic finally showed more in the Italian capital, reaching in the semi-final to Rafael Nadal after almost two hours and announcing his sudden return.
Marco Cecchinato halted Novak in the quarter-final of Roland Garros but the Serb regained his composure on grass, losing in the final of Queen's to Marin Cilic before going all the way at Wimbledon, lifting his 13th Grand Slam crown and the first in two years. The semi-final win against Nadal in an epic encounter proved to be a game changer for Novak, dominating in the rest of the year and melting the deficit behind the Spaniard to pass him and finish the season as the year-end number 1 player for the first time since 2015. Djokovic won titles at the US Open and Shanghai and he is in the driving seat ahead of 2019 season after extending his lead at the top over Rafa and Roger following a final run at the ATP Finals.
Retrieving all the elements in his game that had made him the leading figure on the Tour since 2011, Novak scored some mighty impressive wins in the season behind us, outplaying his rivals on both the serve and return to notch one-sided wins that further increased his confidence and made him the best player in the world yet again. Djokovic scored 53 triumphs in 2018 and in six of those he claimed at least 63% of overall points, toppling his opponents in a quick and efficient way to evoke the "old Novak" and conquer the ATP throne against all odds after what we saw from him in the first four months.
Wimbledon R2 vs Horacio Zeballos 6-1 6-2 6-3 (63-37) Shanghai R3 vs Marco Cecchinato 6-4 6-0 (63-37) ATP Finals SF vs Kevin Anderson 6-2 6-2 (63-37) Rome R1 vs Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1 6-3 (64-36) Shanghai SF vs Alexander Zverev 6-2 6-1 (64-36) Monte Carlo R1 vs Dusan Lajovic 6-0 6-1 (69-31)
In the second round of Wimbledon, Novak ousted Horacio Zeballos 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 31 minutes, hitting more than 30 winners and barely any unforced errors to secure his 60th Wimbledon win, becoming only the second player after Novak Djokovic with that many wins at all four Majors! Djokovic fired 15 aces today, dropping only 12 points on serve and saving all three break points he faced to keep the pressure on the Argentinian. Zeballos was nowhere near those numbers behind his initial shot, losing almost half of the points in his games and offering 13 break chances to Novak who converted six to sail through into the third round for the 13th time at Wimbledon! The Serb found his rhythm right from the start, serving well and breaking Zeballos already in the second game after a backhand error from a left-hander.
Djokovic secured another break in game six after a beautiful winner, wrapping up the set 6-1 after just 22 minutes. Novak saved those three break points in the second game of the second set and he stole the Argentinian's serve in games between to open a 4-0 lead, delivering the set with a hold at love at 5-2 to move closer to the finish line. Horacio lost his serve in the first game of the third set following a forehand winner from Djokovic and despite the pain in his leg Novak managed to stay focused and wrap up the encounter with another break in game nine when Horacio sent a backhand long.
Things had changed a lot between Roland Garros and Shanghai when Novak Djokovic and Marco Cecchinato played for the second time. Unlike in Paris, Novak stormed over the Italian to score a 6-4, 6-0 win in 70 minutes, taking 63% of overall points just like against Zeballos at Wimbledon. It was another superb performance from Novak in his service games, dropping eight points in total and saving two break points in the fourth game of the opening set to keep the pressure on his rival all the time. Marco did fight well in the opening set but he couldn't do much against such a strong rival in the rest of the match, losing half of the points in his games and suffering four breaks from 11 chances he offered to Novak.
The Serb served at 81% and that gave him free space to attack and keep the points on his racquet, finishing the match with 20 winners and 11 unforced errors while Cecchinato had 14 winners with 23 mistakes. In addition, Novak dominated in the shortest points, winning 40 out of 60 points with less than five strokes and he also had the edge in the mid-range exchanges as well to control the scoreboard and overpower his rival, especially in the second set when Cecchinato faded from the court. Marco repelled two break points in the second game of the match with some nice hitting and he created his only chances on the return in the following game.
Djokovic repelled them with winners and he would lose just one point in his games by the end of the set, waiting patiently for a chance on the return. It came in game seven when he converted the fourth break point after a poor backhand from Marco, moving 4-3 ahead and closing the set with two service winners in game 10 for a 6-4 after 45 minutes. Djokovic was pushing hard in set number two as well, breaking Cecchinato in the opening game and again in game three after a terrible forehand from the Italian. Novak held at 15 in game four with some impressive defense and he earned a chance to serve for the match after another break in game five. Marco sprayed four errors in that sixth game to send Novak into the last eight, notching one of his best wins of the season and one of three bagels in 2018.
In another great display, Novak Djokovic took down Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-final of the ATP Finals in 76 minutes to book the place in his seventh final of the elite ATP tournament. This was the 47th win for Novak in the last 52 matches and his eighth triumph over Kevin in nine encounters, including three in 2018. Anderson came to London as a debutant at the age of 32 and he fought well to pass the round robin stage and reach the semis where he couldn't do anything against the mighty rival, serving at only 55% and hitting just four aces!
Without free points from his initial shot, Anderson stood no chance against the opponent who again did everything right on the court, serving well and keeping the pressure on the other side of the net with his outstanding return that previously toppled John Isner, Alenxader Zverev and Marin Cilic. Djokovic stole half of the return points to create nine break points and he converted two in each set to control the scoreboard all the time and play with a lot of free room in his games. As in the other matches that week, Novak's initial shot worked like a charm, losing seven points in eight service games and never facing a break point!
Djokovic finished the match with 18 winners and just 14 unforced errors, taming his shots beautifully and forcing Anderson to cover the entire court after sending him from one side to another, reducing the rival to just 12 winners and 27 mistakes, spraying them equally from both forehand and backhand. The Serb had a clear 10-1 advantage in the longest points and he also stole the show in the mid-range and the shortest points up to four strokes, returning 82% of Anderson's serve to take the strongest weapon away from his rival.
Novak broke in the very first game of the match when Kevin's forehand landed long and he earned a couple of break points in game three as well, repelled from Anderson who got his name on the scoreboard. Another forehand error cost Kevin another break in game seven and Djokovic closed the set with a nice hold for a 6-2 after 39 minutes. Things went from bad to worse for the South African, netting a backhand to drop serve at 15 at the start of the second set and Djokovic locked his win with a forehand winner in game five that sent him 6-2 4-1 up. Serving for the win, Novak held at love with a volley winner at 5-2 for another dominant performance and the place in the final.
After the second round loss to Kyle Edmund in Madrid, Novak returned stronger in Rome and he kicked off the campaign with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Alexandr Dolgopolov in just 56 minutes! The Ukrainian played only his fifth tournament of the season and he was far from the desired form, making too many errors and not being able to match Novak's pace from the baseline. The Serb won more than 50% of the return points and he claimed four breaks from five chances he created. On the other hand, he lost just 11 points in his games, saving one break point to keep his serve intact and he could have been pleased with the way he performed in his opening match, having to defend the final from 12 months ago.
Novak had a clear advantage in the shortest points (51-24) and that is where his win came from, serving and returning well and outplaying Dolgopolov with the first groundstroke after the initial shot. Djokovic found his range early on and he won the opening eight points of the match, breaking to start the clash and holding for a 2-0 after just three minutes! Alexandr failed to impose his shots and he dropped serve in game five after a forced error, making another one in game seven to hand the opener to Novak in 20 minutes! The second set brought more competitive tennis and just one break point on each side, with Novak who had to save the first and only break chance thanks to a service winner in game three.
He broke Dolgopolov in the following game with a forehand winner and that was all he needed to bring the match home after a hold at love at 5-3, sealing the deal with a backhand winner for the place in the second round and stealing 64% of overall points to wrap up the win in under an hour.
Competing in his 1000th ATP match in a career, Novak Djokovic produced another dominant performance at one of his favorite tournaments in the calendar, toppling the 4th seed Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-1 in exactly an hour in the semi-final of Shanghai Masters for the place in his 103rd ATP final and the fifth of the season. This was the 44th win of the season for Novak and the 38th in the last 42 matches, finding his form after Madrid and never looking back. In addition, Djokovic grabbed the 327th Masters 1000 and he advanced into his 46th Masters 1000 final, seeking the 32nd title and the second of the season after Cincinnati.
Zverev had won their only previous match in the final of Rome last year but he stood no chance in this match against the three-time Shanghai champion who overpowered him in both the serving department and from the baseline, controlling the scoreboard from start to finish to secure the place in the final and make another big step in the battle for the year-end number 1 position with Rafael Nadal. Novak was yet to lose his serve that week in Shanghai and he kept his serve intact against the young German as well, losing 13 points in eight service games and never facing a break point.
On the other hand, Zverev struggled to make an impact with his initial shot, dropping 53% of the points in his games and suffering four breaks from six chances he offered to Novak. The Serb had six winners and nine unforced errors but he did more than enough to bring the match home in no time at all since Zverev finished on seven winners and 24 unforced errors, missing equally from the forehand and backhand to plague his chances for a more positive result. Novak had a clear 30-15 advantage in the shortest points up to four strokes and he was 22-15 up in the more extended rallies to secure the 17th straight win on the Tour.
Sascha was there to fight in the opening four games, losing one point in the first two service games before Novak found his range on the return to break him at 15 in game six after a forehand winner from the youngster. The Serb confirmed the break with three winners in the following game and he closed the set on a high note, breaking Zverev at 15 in game eight for a 6-2 after just 31 minutes when the German's smash finished in the net. Djokovic broke again in the fourth game of the second set and the finish line was in his sight when Sascha sprayed a forehand error at 1-4 to drop serve for the fourth time and allow Novak to serve for the win. A former champion rushed a little bit but he fired a service winner after a deuce to seal the deal and book his place in the final after another masterclass performance and 64% of overall points on his tally.
We saved the best for the last and Novak Djokovic's most dominant win came against the compatriot Dusan Lajovic in the opening round of Monte Carlo, notching a 6-0, 6-1 win in 57 minutes after a dominant role from start to finish! A former champion here was forced to play the first round match at Masters 1000 level for the first time since Cincinnati 2006 and everything worked well for him, dominating on both serve and return to oust the fellow Serb in less than an hour. With Marian Vajda back in his box, it was a vintage Novak who assembled all the elements together to control the scoreboard and crumble his opponent with a fearsome pace that left Lajovic in ruins.
We saw the complete package from Novak who served well and returned even better, hitting fluidly from both wings and covering the court in order to shut the door in front of Dusan and overpower him in every department for the 31st Monte Carlo win and first triumph after three losses in the last couple of weeks. Djokovic served at 62% and he lost 13 points in seven service games, fending off four break points in three different games of set number two when he started to make more mistakes, and the pressure was entirely on Lajovic who couldn't deal with it.
The younger Serb landed 50% of the first serve in and he could grab only 12 out of 36 points behind his initial shot, giving away almost 70% of the points in his games and holding serve just once in the entire match. Novak was 12-5 in front in service winners department and he forged an even bigger 17-4 advantage in the direct points from the field, creating a huge gap before we examine the number of errors they made. Djokovic tamed his shots in a more efficient way, staying on eight unforced errors while Dusan sprayed 13 and Lajovic was also on 13 forced errors with only six for Novak.
Overall, Djokovic fired 29 winners and 16 errors and Lajovic was on nine winners and 27 errors, unable to win more than one game. Novak was the dominant figure in the longer points, waving from both wings to build a fortress around his baseline zone and taking 10 out of 11 exchanges that reached the ninth shot. In the mid-range points between five and eight shots, Djokovic was 18-9 in front and he had a 28-15 lead in the shortest range up to four strokes, setting the pace with his serve and the first groundstroke to wrap up the triumph in under an hour.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2Q4MgSN
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