Five-star Djokovic still perfect in Beijing
Originally published on 06/10/14
The world No.1, who extended his remarkable unbeaten record in Beijing to 24-0, powered past Berdych 6-0 6-2 in just 67 minutes.
What was even more astonishing was that Djokovic was on course for a double bagel, leading 6-0 5-0 before Berdych offered some resistance to prolong the match, albeit briefly.
"I met somebody in the final who I've never seen before," said Berdych. "The way that he performed today was really outstanding. There is really not much I can add to that because, really, I was just swept off the court.åå
“I just said to my coach now that I probably played over 700 matches in my career, and I met guys like Andre [Agassi], Roger [Federer], all those probably in their best times. But I have never, ever experienced anything like that."
"This has been, in the circumstances, probably the best performance of any final in my career," Djokovic admittted. "It was incredible. Incredible. Especially against Tomas, who has a big game and is already an experienced player. It was 6-0, 5-0 in under an hour. Everything I tried worked. To be proud of the performance is the least I can say of how I played tonight. åå
"I have played some great finals, had some convincing wins, some straight-set wins against top rivals. But with this kind of performance and with this domination result-wise, I mean it's never happened."
It was Djokovic’s fifth victory in Beijing and also his fifth trophy of the season as the Serb extended his lead at the top of the rankings to put the year-end No.1 firmly in his sights.
Despite a painful defeat, Berdych boosted his chances of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month. Kei Nishikori moved up to No.5 in the Race to London following his second title in as many weeks, beating Milos Raonic in the final of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.
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