Djokovic comes from behind to win ATP finals opener

Nearly as if he was personally affronted by surrendering his first ever set to Thiem – and the roar that greeted it from a crowd eager to see a competitive match – Djokovic then bageled the Austrian in just 23 minutes to level the match at one set all.

He has won the Tour Finals for the last four years and another success this year would equal Roger Federer’s record of six titles.

However, Djokovic is a savvy enough all-rounder to adapt to any game.

Djokovic said: ‘I definitely didn’t want to let him start off well in the second set.

The Spanish pair, who are not related, are seeded fourth after a consistent year that reached its high point at Roland Garros while Kontinen and Peers have claimed four titles this year, including the final event of the regular season, the Paris Masters. The injury took me off from the Olympic Games but all in all a very good year that I’m proud of. “I couldn’t quite keep the level up from the first set”, he said.

The first set proved a close one right down to the end.

Consistency is certainly something that Cilic has lacked, with his forehand at times prone to leaking errors and his serve can be more hit and miss than it probably should be for a man of his stature.

While Thiem offered more resistance in the third there was only going to be one victor once Djokovic broke to lead 2-1.

That means they are virtually neck-and-neck and the 200 points Djokovic earned for beating Thiem edged him ahead in what is turning into a thrilling race for the year-end honour. But he couldn’t close it out with Thiem serving, eventually hitting a backhand long.

“Even though I lost the first set, I thought I didn’t do too many things wrong”, said Djokovic, who saved the only break point he faced.

However, the 12-time Grand Slam victor reacted in feisty fashion when asked about his state of mind heading into the Tour Finals, which he opens against Austria’s Dominic Thiem today.

An attempt at a lobbed victor went wide, however, and Thiem was finally able to wrap up a set which lasted an hour and 16 minutes with a fine forehand into space. “I just feel a lot more stable throughout the year”.

Thiem, unable to produce the same high level as earlier, quickly fell behind.

Djokovic was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct after losing the first set but won 12 of the last 14 games.

Thiem did stop the rot early in the decider but Djokovic kept knocking at the door and broke to take a 2-1 lead.

Djokovic is now 4-0 lifetime against Thiem.

“It was a good match with a great first set”. “After that I knew it would be crucial for me to start with a break at the start of the second set, which I did”. I got to the semi-finals one year and had a great match with Rafa [Nadal], I played really well and so I wasn’t disappointed. “The tiebreak was deservedly won by him”.

The 23-year-old, the first Austrian to finish in the top 10 since Thomas Muster in 1997, produced some electrifying moments during a first-set tiebreaker that he snatched 12-10.