Djokovic neutralizes Nadal's reaction and the champion decides in the doubles match

The Serbian won 6-2 and 7-6 (4), achieving his ninth consecutive victory against the left-handed fast track. Baptist had defeated Lajovic at the first point

• ATP Cup
  

  Baptist Exhibition before Lajovic
  

The first manifestation of Novak Djokovic's jubilation came after creating two breaking balls in the eleventh game of the second set. After ruling the initial set with supreme authority, he had seen Nadal reborn, who was also going to raise the two almost lethal threats. Until that moment, the balcnico had been as bright as content. The encounter, with formidable moments, he decided on the tiebreaker. As it had happened in his eight previous clashes on fast track, the Serbian won and equal to a victory the final of the ATP Cup. (Narration and statistics: 6-2 and 7-6 (4))

Baptist had defeated before Dusan Lajovic 7-5 and 6-1. The series will be decided in the doubles match.

Djokovic neutralized Nadal's reaction and got a win that, beyond its meaning in this new competition, has an important value just one week from the start of the Australian Open, where to look for your eighth title. Overwhelmed in the beginning, the Spaniard narrowed the distances and demanded the best of an adversary who has not won on this type of surface since the end of the 2013 US Open.

Few players are able to push through a game after committing three double faults. Nadal did it in the fifth, where Djokovic had two options to stand with 4-1 and serve. Without worrying about the mistakes, induced by the condition of excellent subtractor of his adversary, the Spaniard defended his fate with determination, palliating the three stumbling blocks with good serves that allowed him to dominate the point and get afloat from a very compromised situation.

The importance of the rest

It served him little. Djokovic won his serves easily, except the deuce which happened in the second game. Nadal suffers in each of his turns. Forced to succeed with the first, he needed to lay the trench as soon as he did not refine at the beginning. Once again, as it is already a constant in his long series of clashes, Nole I subjected him to an unbearable burden. After breaking in the first game, I did it again in the seventh and easily took the set. After the second break, Nadal complained to the chair judge, Mohamed Lahyani, of the attitude of some spectators, in his opinion too fervent during the development of the game.

Nadal found more balance in the second set, partly because of such infrequent measures as peeking out of the network after his service, with which he was much more effective. He needed to look for alternatives before a very whole, impassive Djokovic, focused exclusively on doing things right. Belgrade saved a serious setback in the fifth game. Nothing less than with five balls of breakNadal continued before the equalization of three. The party charged another temperature. The unique thinking of Nole, led to different imperatives. The Serbian resisted, better also in the service: he won 60% of the points with his second serve, compared to 32% of Nadal. Sum 12 aces, by five of his rival. In these records, particularly in the first one, serious reasons can be found to explain the outcome.