Novak Djokovic will enter the Wimbledon Championships with a winning momentum after defeating France’s Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4, in the final of the Eastbourne International.
The last-minute decision to enter the tournament came as the Serbian bids to shake off a recent roller coaster spell on the European clay courts. Racing towards the final without dropping a set, Djokovic was looking to extend his commanding head-to-head against the Frenchman. He has won their 13 previous meetings with Monfils’ last triumph occurring in a 2004 Italian Futures event.
“It is always special winning tournaments on the grass. This use to be the most common surface. Three out of the four grand slams were played on grass, now we only have three, four weeks played on the grass.” Djokovic said moments after lifting his maiden Eastbourne trophy.
Embarking upon his 98th ATP final, Djokovic got off to a perfect start as a tentative Monfils produced a double fault to gift him the break. Fears over Monfils’ leg injury were redundant as the Frenchman moved freely around the court. Still, Djokovic was the driving force in the match, fending off a series of blistering shots from the other side of the court. Closing in on the first set lead, Djokovic’s 80% winning first service rate proved too much for Monfils to crack. As the second seed serve to stay in the set, a miscalculated volley at the net elevated Djokovic to two set points. The lead was then secured after another deep return from the world No.4 forced Monfils to produce an error.
Closing in on only his fourth title on the grass (first outside of Wimbledon), parts of Djokovic’s game started to become vulnerable. An unwelcoming trend that has haunted the former world No.1 in recent weeks. Chances came and went for Monfils to break in the second set, but he was shut out by Djokovic’s determination. The situation frustrated Djokovic, who released an almighty roar of anger when he returned one Monfils’ second serves long.
Regardless of his frustration, the trophy was soon Djokovic’s. As Monfils served to stay in the match, an 11-shot rally concluded with an error from the Frenchman, rewarding the top seed match point. Victory was then sealed on the first time asking when another error from Monfils followed shortly after.
“It has been a great week.” Djokovic evaluated during his post-match interview. “For me it was my first participation in Eastbourne. I have nothing but positive impressions that I am taking from this week.”
Wimbledon awaits
There will little time for Celebration with Djokovic set to play his first round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday against Martin Klizan. He will be bidding to become the first player since Pat Rafter in 1998 to win both ATP and Grand slam titles in consecutive weeks.
“This is the best possible build up for me and my preparation for next week with what is coming up. Hopefully I will be able to take it from here.” Said Djokovic, who hinted about returning to Eastbourne in the future.
At SW19, the 30-year-old will be guided by Andre Agassi and new addition Mario Ancic. Former top-10 player Ancic was confirmed as a new member of Djokovic’s team on Saturday morning. During his career, the Croat won three ATP titles and progressed to the semifinals of the 2004 Wimbledon championships.
“He was number six, seven in the world, he played semis at Wimbledon, beat Federer when he was a teenager. He was very, very talented (as a player). He was very unfortunate with injuries.” Djokovic said about Ancic.
“He’s (currently) in the financial business, but I dragged him back into the sport. I’m really glad to see him in London and spend time with him, and Agassi as well. Hopefully we can have a good tournament.”
Djokovic will be seeded second in the upcoming grass-court major, and will be bidding to produce a better run than last year. In 2016 he crashed out of the third round of the tournament to Sam Querrey.
