Djokovic on His 12th ATP Title at Dubai

Many people were harsh to him every time he retires in the middle of a match and immediately label him as the "quitter." But screw these talks, Novak Djokovic was in his top success this time as he outplayed the Frenchman, Giles Simon, in three sets (3-6, 7-5, 7-5) before sealing a thrilling final win over David Ferrer (7-5 6-3) on Saturday night at Dubai Championship.

The Story Behind Djokovic-Ferrer Final Match
(Source: Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship)

It was the Serb who earned the first break to lead 4-2, but he was immediately broken back when he netted a backhand after a long rally. Djokovic then broke again to lead 5-3 and serve out the set, but instead he allowed fourth seeded Ferrer to win the next eight points to level at 5-5. In a strange reversal, Djokovic then won eight of the next nine points to seal the set. Djokovic again earned the advantage in the second set by breaking to lead 2-0, but he once more almost let his advantage slip away. Ferrer was able to break back in the seventh game, but he then double-faulted to drop his serve and leave Djokovic once again leading 5-3. In a dramatic conclusion to the tournament, Djokovic then had to fight off a break point and a bad line call, calling upon Hawkeye to confirm he had hit an ace on match point.

Just an observation
This is the first tournament win of Nole in 2009 and his 12th ATP title. Like what happen in Shanghai Master Cup last year, Nadal and Federer chose not to participate due to ligament and back injury, respectively. Other seeded players in Top 10 were also absent like Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco, Juan Martin Del Potro and Jo-Wilfredo Tsonga and for this, I wonder why Djokovic frequently performs well in court when there's no other seeded players behind.....



Nevermind, the most important thing is he continues to win although there are several thrash talks about him. To me, this is what a real athlete is, not always trying to please others. Congrats Novak, and thanks for avenging for your childhood friend's (Ana Ivanovic) loss in QF two weeks ago.
Novak Djokovic Interview

Photo courtesy of:
http://tennis-atp.blogspot.com/