Djokovic wins his fourth Canada Masters

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By Jake Davies

  • Novak Djokovic [1] defeats Kei Nishikori [3] 6-3 7-5 to win the Canada Masters
  • Djokovic is the heavy favourite moving into the Rio Olympics.
TORONTO, CANADA – Does Novak Djokovic‘s staggering 30th Masters title win over Kei Nishikori make him the undeniable favourite for an Olympic Gold?

 

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Novak Djokovic [1] defeats Kei Nishikori [3] 6-3 7-5

Djokovic continued to excel in one of tennis’ grandest stages as he beat Nishikori and claimed his 30th Masters 1000 title. No man has won as many Masters 1000 titles as the World No.1 Djokovic, and he now stretches his Masters title lead over second-placed Rafael Nadal by 2 titles with this victory.

This victory indicates that Djokovic really does mean business when it comes to chasing down the grand slam tally of Roger Federer – he is now five grand slam victories away from the Swiss now.

After a Wimbledon campaign that Djokovic would rather forget, it was essential that he started his hard court swing in the best possible light. Djokovic started his quest for a fourth Canada Masters trophy very slowly, but improved and grew into the tournament in the latter stages.

The Serbian served impeccably during the Canada Masters final as he kept his first serve percentages extremely high. The percentages he was able to find on his first serve allowed him to express himself more on that particular shot. Djokovic was struggling with the consistency of his second serve in the earlier rounds and it brought back memories of Djokovic’s frailties on serve in his younger years.

The variation and placement that the new-and-improved Djokovic now demonstrates on his service games came into fruition against Nishikori today. Djokovic eased into a 6-3 lead in the first set, with the one break of serve for 4-2 separating the two at this stage.

One of the major differences between Djokovic and Nishikori was the ability to earn easy points off their serve. Djokovic’s serve has developed immensely over his career, while Nishikori’s serve tends to get exposed when he comes up against the best players in the world.

Djokovic strolled into a set and a break lead over the Japanese star. He looked like he was on the verge of a straight forward straight sets victory. Nishikori had other plans. Djokovic’s level dipped, but Nishikori was alert when the opportunity came to get himself back in contention.

The 12-time grand slam winner reasserted his control and dominance to break for *6-5 before closing out the match to win his fourth Rogers Cup win in Canada.

Djokovic has now won nine consecutive matches over Nishikori. His last loss came at the US Open semi-final in 2014, but Djokovic firmly dominates this head-to-head and commands the mental edge against Nishikori too.

The World No.1 is the red hot favourite to win the Rio Olympics, but it is a title that has eluded Djokovic over the course of his career. Many will argue that at 29 years of age and in the peak of his powers – there is no better and more opportunistic timing for Djokovic to win his first gold medal at the Olympic Games.