Novak Djokovic won the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati for the first time in his career. With a clear 6:4 and 6:4 the Serb beat his all-time rival Roger Federer at the Western and Southern Open.
The stage in Cincinnati for the dream final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic was set and the first game in the 46th match was a tough one.
Federer decided to serve and was put under direct pressure by the “Djoker”. The Swiss had to make his debut, but was able to get out of the affair. There was a lot going on for both players. Federer had his eighth tournament victory in Cincinnati in mind, Djokovic wanted to win the Golden Masters in Ohio.
After Federer’s difficult opening phase, Djokovic increased the pressure on the Swiss and rewarded himself with a break for a 4-3 lead. Federer was actually in forward gear, but was surprised by his all-time rival and was a bit unlucky with the court surface and was trailing behind.
Djokovic on the other side remained focused and took a big step towards his first Western and Southern Open title with a 6-4 set win.
It was the Swiss who came out of the break fresher and added a few percent of aggression to his game. Djokovic made one or two small mistakes, which Federer punished with his first break of the match. A loud “Kumm jetzat” echoed through the felt Center Court.
However, the 37-year-old’s 2-0 lead was not to last long and Djokovic struck back with a direct re-break. In general, the current Wimbledon winner seemed fresher and was particularly convincing in the return.
At the score of 3:3, Djokovic then took the final shot – with the support of Federer. The Swiss didn’t look high, tried to play the balls into the field for sure and immediately got the receipt. With an outstanding longline winner, Djokovic passed his opponent and took the break to take the 4:3 lead.
After 1:25 hours of play, the “Djoker” turned his first match point and celebrated his first tournament victory in Ohio.
With his first victory over Federer in a Cincinnati final, Djokovic also completed the Golden Masters. The Serbian is the only player who has won all Major and Masters titles at least once.
With his 31st Masters victory Djokovic closes the list of most Masters tournament victories to Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard leads the list with 33 titles, Federer is third with 27 victories.