World No. 3 Novak Djokovic (pictured) completed his outstanding 2008 season by defeating Russian Nikolay Davydenko, 6-1, 7-5, to win the year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai on Sunday. The Monte Carlo resident opened the year by winning the Australian Open in Melbourne and now closes the year by winning another significant title. The Serbian tennis sensation has now been ranked No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings since July 9, 2007.“I would put it in the same league as a Grand Slam because the best eight players in the world are participating here,” said Djokovic. “I feel very happy. End up the season the way I started it, with a win in a big event. So it's a great boost up for upcoming season.”
The 21-year-old Belgrade native got off to a quick start in the championship match, as he broke Davydenko’s serve twice to go ahead 5-0. As Davydenko clearly came out of the starting gates extremely slow and very tense, Djokovic was able to dictate play from the start and smash winners from all parts of the court.
In the second set, Djokovic quickly got ahead 5-3 and even held two match points, but Davydenko rediscovered the tennis form that landed him a spot in the finals. The Russian won seven of the next eight points and eventually broke serve to level the second set at five games a piece. Just as the fans at the sold out Qi Zhong Stadium thought they would be in for a classic battle, Davydenko easily dropped serve, giving Djokovic the chance to win the match on his own serve. At 6-5, Djokovic had little trouble holding serve, as he closed out the match in convincing fashion to win the prestigious title.
“It was special because I've played in the second part of the season in a couple of finals, and I didn't manage to win the title for a long time, since Rome,” said Djokovic. “That's probably the reason why I couldn't close it out in 5-4. I was a bit nervous. It's not easy, you know. There is a lot of pressure involved. I'm happy that I managed to hold my nerves in the end.”
In the one hour and 43 minute match, Djokovic hit four aces, won 74 percent of first serve points and surrendered only seven points on his second serve. Davydenko smashed five aces throughout the match, while winning 65 percent of first serve points, but struggled tremendously on his second serve, winning only 37 percent of those points. Djokovic was able to break serve four times in the two set match, while Davydenko broke only once after having four break point opportunities throughout the match.
To go along with his title this week in Shanghai and in January in Melbourne, Djokovic also won titles this year at Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Rome, bringing his career total to 11. Earning a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics this past summer, Djokovic finishes his memorable season with a 64-17 record. He recorded many wins this season over Top 10 players including, two victories over current World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, as well as wins over Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and David Nalbandian. Djokovic earned $625,000 for his victory on Sunday, which brings his 2008 prize money total to over $4 million. He also walked away with a brand new Mercedes-Benz SUV in honor of his victory.
The singles winner at the Masters Series Miami tournament in March and at events in Poertschach and Warsaw, the 27-year-old Russian finishes the year with an outstanding 56-21 record. Despite not reaching a grand slam quarterfinal for the first time since 2004, Davydenko was able to complete his best performance at the year-end championships, outdoing his 2005 semifinal performance, in which he lost to Nalbandian. En route to his singles title in Miami, Davydenko defeated Roddick in the semifinals before easily defeating Nadal in the finals in straight sets. Davydenko pocketed $315,000 for his runner-up performance in China, bringing his total this season to over $2 million.
Doubles Championship Match Results
No. 2 Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic def. No. 1 Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan, 7-6(3), 6-2
Editor’s Note: Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic clinch the year-end No. 1 team ranking, which snaps the Bryans’ three-year grasp on the honor.
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3 comments:
good win for Djokovic. he played pretty solid all year, so well deserved for him.
also, glad to see nestor/zimonjic beat the bryan twins. it's good to have a new #1 in doubles.
Mike S-
Thanks for your comments!
Novak Djokovic's win at the year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai was a great victory for him. He started off the year playing so well, as he won his first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open. He had a couple hiccups along the way, including a second round exit at Wimbledon. Winning in Shanghai this past weekend was a great finish to 2008 for the Serbian star and will definitely give him a lot of confidence heading into 2009, as he hopes to take over No. 2 from Roger Federer in the ATP Rankings.
Also, Nestor/Zimonjic played remarkable tennis all year, as did the Bryan Brothers, but it is great to see finally see another team that can put together consistent doubles results. Although, I'm a big fan of the Bryan Brothers, it's great to see a changing of the guard in the rankings, after the Southern California Brothers had owned the top spot for the last several years.
Can we get Spadea a win!!
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