Djokovic's extraterrestrial 2011 made his 2012 season look pretty modest as the Serb failed to reach the same heights he did the year before. Nadal's impeccable clay-court campaign, Federer's grass magic and Murray's New York fairytale have all overshadowed Novak, but his consistency eventually paid off when he secured the year-end number 1 ranking ahead of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Although Federer's withdrawal from Paris meant his lead was enough to guarantee he'll finish the season atop of the rankings, Novak had plenty to prove in London, especially after his Parisian nightmare. Wearing a Dark Vader mask, the Serb was given a little Halloween trick, crushing out in his opening Bercy tie after a shock loss to inspired American, Sam Querrey.
Drawn against some fierce opponents, Novak was imperial in his round robin encounters as he battled through some hard fought victories over Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych. Having won his group, the Serb met Juan Martin del Potro for a place in the grand finale. In a rematch of the Olympic bronze medal clash, Djokovic got his revenge, coming from behind to stun the giant Argentinean. He recovered from a set and a break down, to win 4-6,6-3,6-2.
After digging himself out of the rabbit hole in his previous match, the Serb was once put under immense pressure as Federer got off to a flying start in the final. The Swiss built a 3-0 advantage in no time, looking all set to cruise through the opening set. Nole's fighting ability resurfaced once more as he got back the break to level the dispute before winning a tight tie-break to take the lead. Roger was not be to denied easily though, as the Swiss broke early in the second to seize the initiative. He even held two set points while serving at 5-4, but his ferocious opponent refused to give in. He broke back on a string of errors from Federer to pull the final blow. An extremely annoyed Roger found it difficult to focus as he lost his serve for a second time to hand Novak the trophy.
All of his wins this week, especially those against Murray, del Potro and defending champion, Federer, revealed Djokovic's main strength: his 'I won't give up' attitude. Bursting with self-confidence, he often manages to turn things around and win matches in which he plays way below his best. Having won his second ATP World Tour Finals crown, the Serb proved to be a worthy number 1 in men's tennis.
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| In a battle between the best tennis players of the moment, Novak Djokovic came from behind to upset Roger Federer 7-6,7-5 to claim his second Masters Cup title. |
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