The Serbian star was at his best at the Qi Zhong stadium, outplaying the first-time Masters finalist Borna Coric 6-3, 6-4 to seize his 32nd ATP Masters 1000 title, which moves him within one of Rafael Nadal for the most at the elite level.<\/strong><\/p>\nNovak also claimed his 72nd career trophy, and boosted his already strong chance of finishing year-end world no.1 for the fifth time in his career.<\/p>\n
It was another dominant week on the tour, as the Serb did not drop his serve in Shanghai.<\/p>\n
Novak covered the court well in the final and kept his opponent under relentless pressure. He broke in the sixth game and clinched the 38-minute first set with a hold to love, having lost four service points overall.<\/p>\n
Riding the wave of momentum, Novak made a break in the opening game of the second set and closed it out in one hour and 36 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank you guys for making this event very special. This is definitely one of the most special ATP 1000 events in the world,\u201d<\/strong> Djokovic said. \u201cBack in 2008 I won my first Masters cup here and that opened a lot of doors for me and made me the player I am today. This is a special place for me. I want to congratulate Borna and his team on a great week. Tough match today but you showed to the world that we are going to see a lot more of your tennis at this level.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cI would like to thank my team and my family back home. Everyone who has been supporting me. The last four months have been tremendous and I am very grateful to make so many great results all over the world. I am cherishing every moment. And last but not least, I want to thank the tournament organisers and all the volunteers,\u201d<\/strong> Novak added.<\/p>\n