Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki proved too much for the Spain doubles combination at the ATP Cup yesterday as Serbia claimed the trophy two matches to one with a 6-3, 6-4 win in the decider.
A fresh Djokovic returned to Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena for the doubles after his win over Rafael Nadal set up the decider, but Nadal did not play, with Feliciano Lopez partnering Pablo Carreno Busta.
Djokovic and Troicki bounced back from a break down in the first set to romp home.
Photo: Reuters
Earlier, Djokovic swept past long-time rival Nadal in a battling display in the second singles match of the final.
The Serbian blasted the top-ranked Spaniard off court 6-2 in the first set before a much tighter 7-6 (7/4) second set.
That left the final of the inaugural team event 1-1 after Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut caned Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-1 in the first match.
Photo: Reuters
“Every time I get to play Rafa, we get to play a lot of exciting points. There were some incredible exchanges today,” Djokovic said after the singles match. “I started off the match perfectly, everything worked. I’m just really glad I held my nerve in the end.”
Djokovic, warming up for his bid to win an eighth Australian Open crown this month, went into the clash at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena leading their head-to-heads 28-26.
However, the statistics do not tell the full story.
The Serbian had won nine of their past 12 contests and has been dominant over the years on hard courts — including a comfortable win against Nadal in the Australian Open final last year.
He showed his intent immediately, breaking Nadal in the opening game when the Spaniard netted a backhand. His driving groundstrokes and deft touches proved too much, with Nadal’s serve constantly under siege as Djokovic delivered a booming ace to wrap up the set.
Nadal lifted to another level in the second set and it was an intense affair, with Djokovic saving five break points in a crucial sixth game.
It went to a tiebreaker, where a crunching backhand down the line gave Djokovic the break he needed to complete the victory.
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