Novak Djokovic thrashes Kei Nishikori to open campaign — ATP Tour Finals

“Undoubtedly it’s been an incredible performance that I was hoping I can have coming into the match, coming into this tournament”. Then there is a player that, you know, you didn’t face for a long time.

“I know it’s a big win”.

“I was the one to have the first chance on break point in the third set”.

Djokovic served out the set and continued his easy progress in a second set that saw him drop only six points on serve while not seeing a break point.

“I thought I was playing really well in practice, I’ve had a good year”.

The two are great friends and at a practice session this week Wawrinka gave Djokovic a key ring with a pair of the “lucky” check shorts he wore at the French Open.

Far from easing up with the finish of his best ever year a week away, Djokovic clearly wants to lay down a marker for next year’s assault on the top silverware and showed Nishikori no mercy.

Berdych and Nishikori will be desperate for a victory to give themselves hope of a place in the semi-final, both were comprehensively beaten in their openers – Berdych by Federer and Nishikori picked up just two games as he was crushed by Djokovic. “Even at the start of the match, it was half my fault, because I didn’t make any first serves”. A second straight defeat would have all but signalled the end of their campaign in London, yet with a 5-0 record in his second match in the format’s history it was Berdych who would start as the marginal favourite.

It was the turn of the number six seed to dominate with five consecutive games of his own to square the match and force a third set for the first time in the tournament.

The Swiss world No 3 wrapped up victory in just over an hour and now needs just one more win to reach 50 at the tournament. “I missed with my backhand a little bit today, left a few too many in the middle of the court and he was able to dictate a lot of the points from there”.

They will take on Americans Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in their final group match on Thursday.

After Berdych and Federer traded early breaks to love, the Swiss took the next break for 5-4 on his way to closing out the first set in 37 minutes.

“He doesn’t look old for me”, he said.

Federer added that his match against the sensational Serb is not the one that he “cares the most about”, but also said that it will be a “very important” one.

It’s hard for me at least to conclude that Tuesday’s clash will buck the recent trend of Djokovic victories against Federer (and everybody else) as the surface will not help Federer to play the kind of attacking tennis that could pierce Djokovic’s defenses.