Novak Djokovic escapes defeat against Tomas Berdych on day two – Barclays ATP World Tour Finals 2011
As it was least expected, the world number one, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, was stretched to his limits by seventh seed Tomas Berdych in his opening Round Robin match of Group A at the Barclays ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
World Tour Finals on Monday night.
Djokovic recovered from being one set down in the contest to come out as the winner in the third set, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), registering his 70th victory in the running ATP season. The top seed toiled hard for two hours and
thirty nine minutes of play before he seized the vital opportunity in the final set tie breaker to claim his first victory at the circuit ending grand finale in London.
The world number one extended his winning streak to six against the Czech opponent in singles encounters. He had defeated Berdych at the Australian Open, Dubai and Cincinnati earlier this year but the Monday’s victory was perhaps
the most hard-fought one for the Serb. Djokovic dropped the opener to fall on his back foot early in the contest but recovered in the following set to make his way right back in the game. He was pushed to the verge of defeat when he faced a match point from
Berdych at 5-6 in the final set but the courageous world number one denied his opponent to enforce a tie breaker round into play, eventually winning in the end.
“It was the toughest match probably since the US Open," admitted Djokovic. "I mean, I wasn't very satisfied with my performance tonight. I knew that my opponent tonight is an unpredictable player, who has a powerful ground strokes
and great serve. If he's on, if he feels the ball well, it's difficult to compete with him. I think he made pressure, a lot of pressure, on my serve, especially the second serve. He was stepping in. I went back. I was too passive.”
The top seed cracked in 17 winners and conceded 33 unforced errors en route to victory. Three out of eight break point conversions proved to be sufficient for Djokovic to seal victory.
Djokovic will meet the world number five, David Ferrer of Spain, in his next Round Robin matchup on Wednesday evening. The fifth seed Spaniard stunned everyone at the O2 Arena on Monday night when he dumped the third seed home
favourite, Andy Murray, in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, in the opening Group A match.
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