Novak Djokovic wins 2011 World Tennis Championship title, beats Ferrer in final

World number one Novak Djokovic has sent a message to his rivals that he’s still the player to beat this 2012 season after winning the World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The top-ranked Serb defeated David Ferrer 6-2, 6-1 in the final. He also defeated Roger Federer and Gael Monfils on his way to his first Abu Dhabi title.

“This is the best way to start the 2012 season,” Djokovic said.

“I must say I’m really happy with the way I’m playing. Playing against the top players in the world in this way gives me a lot of confidence,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Nadal defeated Federer 6-1, 7-5 to secure the third place honors in the $250,000 winner-takes-all six-man tournament.