Novak Djokovic downs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his opening match – ATP World Tour Finals 2012
World number one and top seed, Novak Djokovic, made a successful start to his campaign at the season ending championships, as he defeated the seventh seeded player from France, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-3 in
his first round robin match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Monday.
Djokovic is placed in Group A with Tsonga, Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych. This last tour-level event of the season is being held at the indoor hard courts of O2 Arena in London.
The Serbian came under pressure at the beginning of the encounter, as he faced a break point in the very first game. However, he stood strong at that moment and put it away to hold his serve. None of the two players came across
any threat during rest of the proceedings, levelling the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. The 25-year-old took an early lead and made the most of it to triumph 7-6(4).
Djokovic capitalised on Tsonga’s weak serve at the start of the second set, breaking him in the opening game and holding his own to attain a 2-0 advantage. The Frenchman committed a number of unforced errors from his forehand,
losing his serve again in the ninth game to go down 3-6.
The Serbian star needed one hour and 39 minutes to earn this win after an evenly contest match.
Djokovic is bidding to win his second ATP World Tour Finals title, as he also clinched it in 2008. The Serbian juggernaut has been in top form recently and put together some brilliant results. Since losing to Andy Murray in the
final of the US Open, he has compiled a win/loss record of 11-1.
Speaking to the reporters after the contest, Djokovic said, “The opening set obviously could have gone either way. To be quite honest, he was the better player throughout the first set. I faced many break points, and I didn't have
any in the opening set. I managed to serve well, play well, stay mentally tough, and tried to fight my way through."
The Serbian will take on Murray in his second round robin match on Wednesday. On playing the Brit, he added, "My next match [on Wednesday], against Andy, is always a big challenge," admitted Djokovic. "He had the lots of success
in London, playing in his town, in front of his crowd. We know a lot about each other.”
Djokovic has lost two of last three matches he has played against Murray but enjoys a 9-7 overall lead in the head to head record against the Brit.
Tags: