Novak Djokovic edges Mardy Fish to lift title – Rogers Cup 2011
World number 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia captured his record fifth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season as he defeated world number 7 Mardy Fish of USA in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the final at the Rogers Cup in Montreal
on Sunday. The top seed needed two hours and 23 minutes to win a closely contested match.
The opening set went on serve until the sixth game when Djokovic broke the American to take a 4-2 lead. The Serbian went on to clinch two successive games after that, holding his serve in the seventh game and breaking his opponent’s
serve in the eighth game to win the set 6-2.
Djokovic was below par on the second serve, hitting a couple of double faults and claiming just six of the twelve points on them in the first set. However, the Serbian succeeded in grabbing sixteen of the 21 first serve points.
The 24-year-old saved the five break points he faced and capitalised on two of the three break points he received on the American’s serve in the opening set.
Fish bounced back as he broke the Serbian in the fifth game of the second set and consolidated on it to grab a 4-2 lead. The American broke Djokovic again in the eighth game, bagging the set 6-3.
Djokovic and Fish held their serve in the first four games of the deciding set, equalising the score at 2-2. The Serbian raised the level of his game at that moment, breaking Fish in the fifth game and holding his next service
game to build a 4-2 lead. Djokovic did not allow the American to create any break opportunity, serving out the set and match at 5-4.
Talking at the post match press conference, Djokovic admitted, “I think I was more nervous than in the previous matches today. Well, it was the final. There was a lot of tension going on. It was a very close match. He wanted to
win that match as much as I did. That's why we were quite intense. It was a mental fight, as well. It was not just physical. But I managed to hold my composure when I needed to.”
Djokovic added, “History making, of course it’s special. Of course, it’s an honour and privilege to be part of the history of the sport that I love and that I play.”
The Serbian has become the first player to win five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in one season. He has also become the only active player to capture his first event after becoming the world number 1.
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