Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer to clinch 2011 Dubai Tennis Championship title
Currently ranked no. 3 in the World, Novak Djokovic of Serbia seems to have made a habit out of defeating the legendary Roger Federer of Switzerland as the professional recently defeated the Swiss man for the second time this season. Nevertheless, Djokovic
seems to have an immense amount of respect for Federer and his game.
Seeded no. 1 at the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, Roger was beaten 6-4 in the first set and 6-4 in the second set as Novak clinched the championship title. However, in spite of the loss, the professional will be keeping his World no. 2 ranking ahead of Nole.
"I was aware of the challenge that is expected of me on the court, and I was aware of the fact that I need to be on top of my game in order to beat Roger. So the focus was there. I was serving really well, especially the first set. Just the perfect performance
overall," stated Djokovic.
The Serb added that anytime he gets to win against Federer, it is a great success because Roger is such a great player. Following his victory, Novak also stated that everybody knows how mentally strong a player Federer is and to be able to win against Roger
in straight sets as the professional did at the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships is incredible.
On the contrary, after having lost to Nole, Federer stated, "We've had it kind of come and go in spells a bit against each other. I definitely feel he's playing well. I thought he was already playing well at the end of last year. We had a couple real close
ones. This one has been one of the rather disappointing matches for me against him."
Earlier this season, Federer faced defeat at the hands of Djoko in the semi-finals of the 2011 Australian Open. In spite of the fact that the two remained evenly contested throughout most of the match, Nole took the match based upon a 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 win, and
furthermore, advanced to the finals only to defeat Briton Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2 and 6-3 to take the championship title.
Furthermore, Roger still dominates the rivarly against Djokovic as the head to head count between the two is 13-8, despite the fact that the Swiss man has lost three times in a row to Nole, twice at grand slam tournaments and now in Dubai. In addition, Federer
will be taking a short break in Dubai after which he will prepare for the Association of Tennis Professionals Masters 1000 to be played in Indian Wells, California.
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