By Ros Satar, at the Nitto ATP Finals
- Novak Djokovic [1] def. Kevin Anderson [4] 6-2 6-2
- Djokovic will face No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in the final
LONDON, UK – Novak Djokovic delivered another masterclass as he despatched Kevin Anderson in straight sets to book his spot in the final.
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Novak Djokovic [1] def. Kevin Anderson [4] 6-2 6-2
After the drama of the first semi-final, were we in for another shock, given the form that Kevin Anderson had started the tournament in? The answer was a resounding no, as Novak Djokovic delivered another masterclass.
In his opening round, he had shown how to return, and made every other player look completely average – and he did so again against Anderson, who no-one would begrudge this resurgence in his career into his 30s.
Instead, Anderson battled through a long game and lost his serve straight away, and had to deflect a further couple of break points before losing another game to the relentlessly pressing Djokovic.
His frustration was evident, even earning a rare code violation for bad language as nothing seemed to be working. He was broken in the first game again, and once more for Djokovic to set up a double-break cushion.
The end, when it came, was swift and decisive from Djokovic, for the loss of just four games to book a spot in a seventh final and a chance to equal Roger Federer’s record of six titles at the season-ending finale.
Anderson could only praise the dogged domination that Djokovic presents when he is in this frame of mind.
“Where it gets tough is he doesn’t give you any room to find your way in the match. He’s just on you the whole time. It was really a tough match for me today, very tough at times being out there because I wasn’t feeling great. He makes life even more difficult. But, I mean, that’s why he’s one of the best players of all time.”
Djokovic should bottle this kind of form, and there is a psychological edge to knowing that there are aspects of his game that are giving his opponents conniptions!
He said: “Obviously glad that my opponents feel like I’m improving in my serve, because it is ultimately the most important shot in the game. I thought I was also backing up the serve with the first shot in the rally very well through the entire week. That allowed me to kind of protect my service games, win them all so far in the tournament.
“As I said, it’s the ongoing work. There are days when you feel more comfortable, sometimes less comfortable. It’s the case with all the shots. Even though it appears that everything is working, if it works, that you just need to maintain it, but sometimes it’s really just things vary and you have to deal with these particular situations.”
The final, between Djokovic and Zverev will start not before 6pm.
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