Amazing end of 2013 ATP season for Novak!
World no.2 and defending champion retained his title with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 win over top-seeded Rafael Nadal at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Monday.
The 26-year-old Serb extended his winning streak to 22 matches with victory in one hour and 36 minutes at The O2 Arena in London.
Djokovic dominated throughout the match and wrapped up his third victory at the season finale, adding it to his 2008 and 2012 title runs.
Novak quickly raced to a 3-0 lead, but the Spaniard hit back with three consecutive games to level the result. However, the six-time Grand Slam titlist continued his dominance, breaking once again to take the opening set 6-3 in 44 minutes.
The second set was a more straightforward affair. Nole broke in the third game and sealed a comprehensive win on his third match point.
Match statistics: aces (6-0), double faults (0-4), winners (19-9), unforced errors (21-23), total points won (67-52).
Nole and Rafa met for an Open Era record 39th time (H2H 17- 22). This was their 19th meeting in a final (Djokovic leads 10-9). En-route to his 41st career trophy, the Serb also beat Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Stanislas Wawrinka.
Novak became the seventh player to win the year-end championship at least three times and joined: Roger Federer (six titles), Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras (five), Ilie Nastase (four), Boris Becker and McEnroe (three).
The Belgrade native improved to a 72-9 match record on the season, which includes one Major championship (the Australian Open), three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns (Monte Carlo, Shanghai, Paris), two ATP 500 titles (Dubai, Beijing) and the year-end championship trophy (London).
Nole will head to Belgrade where he will lead the 2010 champion Serbia in its second-ever Davis Cup Final, against the Czech Republic (November 15-17).
Photo: Getty Images
