"I wanted to put him out of his comfort zone" - Novak Djokovic after beating Andrey Rublev to top ATP Finals group
Novak Djokovic described his overall performance as "great" after cruising past Andrey Rublev in the 2021 ATP Finals on Wednesday. The World No. 1 said he wanted to force Rublev out of his comfort zone to combat the Russian's power, while also highlighting his own strong-serving display as crucial.
Djokovic fired 14 aces and won a superb 87% of points behind his first serve in the 6-3, 6-2 triumph, which lasted an hour and eight minutes. The victory over the World No. 5 guarantees that the Serb will top the Green Group and progress to the last four in Turin.
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How does one defeat @DjokerNole⁉
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Speaking in a post-match on-court interview, Djokovic assessed the tense early stages of the contest and identified the break he secured at 4-3 in the opening set as a pivotal moment.
"I knew that I had to be on my toes, so to say," Djokovic said. "I had to start well with a good intensity. I dropped serve [in the opening game] again like in the first match - wasn't a great start. I managed to re-break right away. Was quite a nervous start from both of us. Some close games until 4-3, it was anybody's game."
"Somehow I managed to find the right shots at the right time, I kind of made him play," Djokovic continued. "The crucial point was the one [at] 4-3, break point - when I managed to put a good passing shot next to him and get on top of him, 5-3. Winning the first set, I put additional pressure on him. Started to maybe play even more consistent from back of the court. I served very well, that helped tremendously."
Djokovic also discussed the challenge of dealing with the pace of Rublev's groundstrokes and explained how he attempted to disrupt the 24-year-old's game.
"You don't enjoy it (Rublev's pace), he takes away the time from you," Djokovic added. "He stands very close to the line, you know. But he's the kind of player that [when] something goes wrong, it's difficult for him. You know, he makes a lot of unforced errors. I wanted to put him out of the comfort zone, take away the time also from him, mix up the pace. Just a great performance overall."
Novak Djokovic to face Cameron Norrie in third round-robin match at ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic will face second alternate Cameron Norrie in his final match in the Green Group at the 2021 ATP Finals. World No. 12 Norrie has replaced Stefanos Tsitsipas after the 2019 champion withdrew from the tournament with an elbow injury.
Britain's Norrie will make his debut in the season-ending championship against Casper Ruud later on Wednesday, before taking on Djokovic on Friday.
Welcome, @cam_norrie 🇬🇧
The Brit replaces Tsitsipas in Green Group & will take on Ruud tonight in Turin. #NittoATPFinals https://t.co/gPqt0Kf0PH
Djokovic will equal his great rival Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals crowns if he claims the title in Turin this year. The Serb last won the year-end championship in London in 2015.