01. 05. 2011. · Photo: Srdjan Stevanovic
Novak Djokovic is the champion of the third edition of Serbia Open!
The ATP World Tour 250 event top seed captured his fifth title in 2011, and 23rd in his career, with a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory over world no.37 Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in 1 hour and 56 minutes on Sunday.
This is Nole’s second triumph at his hometown tournament. He lifted the trophy at the inaugural Serbia Open 2009.
The opening set went into a tie-breaker. The 23-year-old Belgrade native took it 7-4.
It turned out to be crucial for the outcome of the final.
Lopez was broken twice in the second set, in the third and seventh games. Nole served out the match 6-2.
“I’m definitely happy to win another title and to move on. Now in front of me there is a period of two months, which are really important,” said Novak after the match. “I need to stay healthy and I need to stay fit in order to play well. The winning streak is something I don’t really think about. I am flattered that people compare me to the greats, like Lendl, McEnroe, Federer, Nadal – guys who have made history on the tennis court. But I have some other goals to achieve this year.”
“Obviously the no.1 ranking is still far away, even though I’ve been winning every match I’ve played this year and won five titles in a row. But I know I need to do more and if I ever get to that no.1 in the world it would be a dream come true for me because it’s been the ambition of my tennis career. But there is Nadal who is playing really well, Federer who wants to come back definitely, many players to beat in order to get there.”
Novak has won every tournament he’s entered in 2011: the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami and now Belgrade. He increased his overall winning streak to 29 wins in a row, dating back to last December’s Davis Cup final.
The best Serbian tennis player of all time has improved to a perfect 27-0 this season and is only two matches short of equalling Ivan Lendl’s 29-0 start in 1986.
