Defending champion Novak Djokovic was pushed to his mental and physical limits during the opening day of the ATP World Tour Finals as he struck down Dominic Thiem 6-7(10), 6-0, 6-2.
Few could dispute the Significance of the London event for the multiple grand slam champion. Hampered by injury issues as well as losing his world No.1 ranking in the second half of the season, Djokovic was eager to start his final tournament of 2016 on a high as he bids to return back to the top.
Three games into the match, apprehension struck the Djokovic camp after he called a trainer to treat a problem with his right thumb.The issue didn’t appear too troublesome as he proceeded with his game without displaying any signs of discomfort. The problem for the Serbian was that he was unable to find a solution to tame the Austrian’s spirited play throughout the opening set.
Boasting a three-match winning streak over Thiem going into their London meeting, Djokovic was matched game by game by the 23-year-old, who received the benefit of some gigantic cheering from the crowd inside the O2 Arena. With such little disparity between the two men, a dramatic tiebreaker decided proceedings.
Thiem was on course to claim his first ever set against the former world No.1 with ease after one of his signature backhand winners elevated him to three set points at 6-3. Things failed to turn out that simple after back-to-back double faults combined with an error on the backhand side reignited Djokovic’s chances. Three further opportunities came and went for the Austrian before he finally struck gold. With everything to play for at 10-10, a Djokovic shot drifted out of the court to hand Thiem his seventh chance to take the set, which he did with a backhand winner.
Dropping the first set, many feared that Djokovic’s recent run of below-par results would continue in London. The frustration got the better of him after he received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct for hitting the ball into the direction of his coaching box. It was an action that few have seen him do before.
” It is not an issue for me. It’s not the first time I did it.” The world No.2 replied when asked about his action.
Despite the current state of Djokovic’s relationship with Boris Becker and co, his response to Thiem’s early supremacy was to hand the youngster a taste of his own medicine. It was as if a different man had walked onto the court. One more consistent and ready to pounce. The Thiem momentum was destroyed with a flawless 22-minute set bagel from the second seed. Dropping only four points behind his serve, Djokovic raced to 6-0 to force the match into a decider.
The somewhat dramatic turn of events came to a halt with Thiem holding at the start of the third set, triggering a cheer from the supportive crowd. Despite the spirited start by the tournament debutant, it was the veteran that came out on top. Intensifying his pressure against Thiem, a backhand slice from Theim allowed Djokovic to break for 2-1 and once again lead the match. To the relief of the thousands of spectators at the O2 Arena, Thiem did continue to battle, but it wasn’t consistent enough to trouble the favourite. Another break of service elevated Djokovic to a game away from victory. The roller coaster comeback was then completed when a serve out wide from the Serbian was unsuccessfully returned by his rival.
“It felt very good. Even though I lost the first set, I thought I didn’t do too many things wrong. It was just the very high quality of his game that prevailed in the first set.” Said Djokovic in his press conference.
“I knew after that, the first opening couple games of the second set would be crucial for me to start with a break up, which I did. I felt more comfortable. I started swinging more freely in the second set. Obviously made him play an extra shot. He started making more errors, which I used.”
Djokovic’s latest win is his 28th victory in the year-end championships since his debut in 2007.
