Novak Djokovic continued his unbeaten streak at this year’s ATP Finals by brushing aside David Goffin 6-1, 6-2, in what was a match of two classes.
Positioned in one class was Djokovic, the four-time defending champion who has never lost to Goffin. In the other was Goffin, a player who entered the match as a late replacement for the injured Gael Monfils. Goffin’s inexperience of playing at the London event was one that enabled the mighty Djokovic to shine, but not necessarily in a spectacular way.
The somewhat unenergetic mood of the crowd at the half-full O2 Arena was perhaps the best reflection of the first set between the two players. Djokovic appeared to be a fraction of the player who downed Milos Raonic in straight sets two days ago. Struggling to generate any form of rhythm, four double faults and 13 unforced errors marred his start to the match. The lacklustre play still failed to impact on the match with the Serbian breaking two consecutive times (with the help of a series of errors from Goffin) to seal a 6-1 lead 36 minutes.
It wasn’t just Djokovic’s questionable play that raised the eyebrows of onlookers, it was also his heated confrontation with the umpire. Receiving a time violation in the fourth game at 30-30, the former world No.1 argued with Fergus Murphy during the changeover. Clearly annoyed, he questioned Murphy’s ability.
“You have no clue about the game.” Said Djokovic.
Despite the wobbles and argument, there was no doubting that Djokovic was playing in a completely different class compared to the world No.11. Goffin’s bid to become the first alternate to win a match in the year-end tournament since Janko Tipsarevic in 2011 turned into an impossible mission. Playing his first ever match at the event, it seemed like the significance of the occasion was one that crushed him.
Virtually walking towards the finish line, two further breaks of Goffin’s tentative serve move Djokovic to a set and 4-1 lead. It was only a matter of time before the 12-time grand slam champion sealed the victory. He did so in the 69th minute of the match, hitting a winning forehand volley at the net.
Djokovic achieved what he needed to in order to top the Ivan Lendl Group with a 100% winning record. On the other hand, a winner-error ratio of 7-17 will leave his camp with a lot to think about.
As uncertainty surrounds the consistency of Djokovic’s performance, the former world No.1 believes that he is going in the right direction regardless of what the statistics might suggest at the O2 Arena.
“Regardless of who is across the net, I knew what I had to do, in which way I can raise the level of performance, which I did today. I’m very glad that my game is going in the right direction. Today I felt the most comfortable, definitely, so far in the tournament.” Said Djokovic.
Djokovic’s semifinal opponent could be one out of three players. It is a prospect that may deter some, however, the defending champion sees the tournament format as one that brings excitement to the event.
“I think this format is exciting. I mean, look, it’s the only tournament in the year that we have this kind of format. I like playing in the round-robin system.” The world No.2 explained.
As things currently stand, Djokovic is ahead in the year-end race to world No.1 with 11,380 points (70 more than Murray). The lead could change tomorrow if Murray wins his match against Stan Wawrinka.
