Djokovic opens ATP Tour Finals with a fine win over Nishikori

The top-ranked Serb put on an impressive display against Kei Nishikori at the ATP finals on Sunday, stretching his winning streak to 15 matches at the season-ending tournament with a 6-1, 6-1 win at the O2 Arena.

Nishikori, who became the first Japanese man to play in the World Tour Finals past year, appeared unable to slow the world No. 1 in the second set, which lasted just 34 minutes.

“I wouldn’t have picked it maybe before the tournament, just because of his really good record on the indoors, the year he’s had”, said Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals.

Federer claimed his 49th match win at the season finale, which he is competing at for a record 14th consecutive year.

Even the best player in the world can have an off day, especially when he’s playing someone many believe is the best of all time. “I don’t want to live my life in fear each time I step on a tennis court”.

“I thought in the second, even though I lost the set, I felt there were games that were very close”, assessed Djokovic.

“I mean, he also played unbelievable tennis”. I was feeling very comfortable on the court, feeling like I could get most of the balls back.

Asked if the near 7,000-point gap between Djokovic and the rest in the ATP ranking points was proof of the Serb’s invincibility, Federer was not convinced.

Nishikori had previously won two of the pair’s six meetings on tour, including a shock semi-final victory at last year’s US Open, but he never got a look-in here.

That early foray into the Federer serve was the only sighting Berdych had as the world number three resisted his rival a single break point for the remainder of the encounter.

After holding serve, Nishkori broke his Czech opponent to take a 5-3 lead, and then served it out. “I wasn’t allowing him to perform at the level where he wanted to be”.

In the third and deciding set, Nishikori saved a break point at 3-3, the key moment in the match.

Unaffected by that sombre opening, Djokovic set about dismantling Nishikori in typically relentless fashion and landed the first blow with a break in the second game.

“But it was important to focus on Berdych and nothing else and now that the match is over I’m relieved, happy”. The outcome of the match will determine the victor of their Stan Smith Group, which will advance to the semifinals.

“Still, to me, Novak is still the favourite of the tournament”.

Since then the 25-year-old has failed to string two wins together and, in Berdych, faces a player came into the Tour finals having bookended a triumph at the ATP Stockholm with quarter-final appearances at the Shanghai and Paris Masters.