It’s been a remarkable year for Novak Djokovic, who cannot be beaten right now. The Serbian tennis master has dismantled his fiercest foe Rafael Nadal in a one-sided China Open final.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic crushed his old rival Rafael Nadal to continue his recent dominance over the Spaniard and win the final of the China Open, clinching the tournament for the sixth time on Sunday.
The Serbian showed no mercy against world No. 8 Nadal, who was hampered by a foot problem in the second set, as he cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory at the National Tennis Centre in Beijing.
Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slams this year and has shown no signs of slowing down at the end of the season. The Serb has now beaten Nadal in seven of their last eight meetings, dating back to the 2013 China Open, and is on the verge of levelling their head-to-head record.
Ankle ailment
The Spaniard, who has struggled with his form and niggling injuries in the past year, took a medical timeout early in the second set when he hurt his right ankle but continued on, despite appearing to be in discomfort.
Djokovic was already well on top by then, however, and in complete control. He broke Nadal’s opening service game and fought off two break points on his own serve in the sixth game. He broke Nadal again and took the first set in 41 minutes, then ran away from his ailing opponent in the second.
An instinctive lob over the stranded Nadal and put Djokovic on his way to a second break and 4-1 lead, and after passing up two match points at 5-2, he finally sealed it with an ace to the delight of the Chinese fans.
apc/pfd (AFP, Reuters)
