Though he wasn’t able to end the season as world number one for the third straight year, world number two Novak Djokovic concluded a fantastic 2013 season by successfully defending the ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London on Monday after the Serbian defeated world number one Rafael Nadal of Spain 6-3, 6-4 in a match that lasted about an hour and thirty minutes.
His past three defeats against the Spaniard has inspired Djokovic to produce his best tennis yet against his rival. The victory marked his 22nd consecutive wins since his final loss at the US Open in New York last September. Since then, Djokovic would go on to successfully defend the titles in Beijing and Shanghai before going on to win the Paris Masters title last weekend.
These string of victories will only strengthen Djokovic’s campaign to regain the top ranking in 2014.
Being undefeated in this tournament, Djokovic will get $1.923 million in prize money and 1,500 ranking points for the feat.
What the finalists said:
Novak Djokovic: “We push each other to the limit [and] we make each other better. We make each other work harder on our games, especially when we play against each other. It’s always a huge challenge.”
“This can serve as a great platform for 2014 season. I’m extra motivated and inspired to work and get myself, first of all, rested and recovered in the off season, and then work on my game and get ready for Australian Open.”
Rafael Nadal: “One thing that made the difference in today’s match was the serve. I didn’t serve well, he served well. On this kind of court, the first shot is very important and he hit that first shot much better than me.”
“Is very special what happened this year. For me, the emotions of this year after a tough year for all of us have been fantastic. And certainly is the day to say congratulations and thanks to all the people who were behind me supporting me, let me work in the days that I was down.”
