ABU DHABI // Since the birth of his son Stefan on October 21, Novak Djokovic has played two tournaments – the Paris Masters and the World Tour Finals – and won both, dropping just one set across 10 matches in those two events.
And returning to the court after the off-season break of almost six weeks, the world No 1 showed few signs of rust, brushing aside third-seeded Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-2 in just 57 minutes on Friday night to book his place in the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, a tournament he has won three times on the trot.
It was a flawless performance by the Serb, who conceded he had never played better in the last two years than he has done since becoming a father.
Could that mean 2015 brings a repeat of 2011 – a year in which Djokovic won 70 of his 76 matches and a staggering 10 tournaments, including three grand slams and five Masters 1000 events?
He earned a record US$12.6 million (Dh46.3m) in prize money and was undefeated until he lost to Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals; his winning streak was 41 matches.
“Do I think I can repeat 2011? I don’t want to say yes and I don’t want to say no,” Djokovic said after beating Wawrinka.
“The only thing I can say is achieving what I have achieved in 2011 gives me enough reason to always believe at the back of my mind that I can do it again.
“Obviously it is hard to expect that you can win almost 50 matches in a row, but I have done that once, so why not twice?
“It is difficult to compare the years because I am a different person and a different player now. I have different circumstances. In 2011, I did not have a child and I was not married. Things are obviously different.
“But I am hungry for more and I feel like I am at the peak of my career and abilities. I have been playing some of the best tennis of the last couple of years in the last two tournaments of 2014 – in Paris and London – dropping only one set in those two tournaments and finishing the year as No 1. Now, I have started the New Year with a great performance today.
“So that’s something that basically I am focusing on and trying to maintain this rhythm because I know if I play on a high level consistently, I know I have a very good chance against anybody, really, on any surface. That’s the kind of mindset I have in approaching any tournament.”
Djokovic has promised to bring a similar mindset to Saturday night’s final against fourth-seeded Andy Murray as he tries to win his fourth Abu Dhabi crown in succession.
Murray looked impeccable in his win over Rafael Nadal, but there are concerns about a possible shoulder injury.
“Abu Dhabi have shown once again they like tennis with some big attendance, and they inspire you to play at your best,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully we can put up a good final for the crowd.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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