Novak Djokovic failed to win a set against David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal on his ATP Finals debut in 2007. Djokovic was ready to compete on a much higher level in Shanghai in the following season after winning his first Major crown and two Masters 1000 trophies.
It was the last edition of the ATP Finals in Shanghai, and Novak made sure to lift the trophy before the event moved to London. Djokovic defeated Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5 in an hour and 43 minutes in the title clash to celebrate the fourth notable title of the season.
Rafael Nadal had to withdraw from the event. He opened the door for Gilles Simon, who joined Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the draw for the first ATP Finals tournament with two Frenchmen since 1986! There was an interesting scenario with alternates.
No one from the top-20 wanted to travel to Shanghai and wait for a chance to play. The organizers called Radek Stepanek and Nicolas Kiefer, with two lower-ranked players hoping for an opportunity to compete in the premium ATP event.
In the Red Group, Roger Federer failed to pass the round-robin stage for the only time at the ATP Finals. The Swiss lost to Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 before beating Radek Stepanek (he replaced Andy Roddick after the first round) 7-6, 6-4 to stay in contention.
On the last day of the round-robin action, Andy Murray took down Roger 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 to send the Swiss out after five straight finals at this tournament. There were some incredibly tight matches in the Gold Group, with many tie breaks and chances for all to go through.
Novak Djokovic defeated Nikolay Davydenko and Juan Martin del Potro to qualify before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. In one of the most dramatic clashes, Nikolay Davydenko ousted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 and toppled Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-3 to join Novak in the last four.
Djokovic needed two hours and 52 minutes to prevail against Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Thus, the Serb set the second encounter against Davydenko when the Russian defeated Andy Murray 7-5, 6-2. As we already said, Novak beat Nikolay 6-1, 7-5 in the title match to lift the trophy, fending off three out of four break chances and delivering four breaks from 11 opportunities.
Novak Djokovic claimed his first ATP Finals title in Shanghai 2008.
Novak had more winners, fewer unforced errors and more mistakes that he forced from Nikolay’s racquet. He outplayed the rival entirely in the shortest and mid-range exchanges to seal the deal in straight sets and secure already his sixth notable title in a young career.
Nikolay served at 47%, and his initial shot was under constant pressure. The Russian failed to impose his strokes and move Djokovic from his comfort zone or draw more errors from the youngster. It was solid resistance from Davydenko in the second set.
He gave his best to level the score at 5-5 before Djokovic claimed the last two games to seal the deal and finish the season on a high note. Djokovic broke in the encounter’s second game after Davydenko’s backhand error and held at love with an incredible forehand crosscourt winner to move 3-0 up after just ten minutes.
Finding nothing in his arsenal to keep him in the rallies, Nikolay sprayed another backhand mistake to give serve away and fall 4-0 behind. Novak landed an ace that propelled him 5-0 in front. Davydenko finally held in game six after deuce to avoid complete disaster and a bagel.
The Russian wasted two break chances in the next one, allowing Novak to close the set with a perfect backhand crosscourt bullet that drew the rival’s error for 6-1. The youngster grabbed another break in the second set’s third game following an incredible defense.
Novak landed an ace a few minutes later to open up a 6-1, 3-1 advantage after swift 54 minutes. Nikolay fended off two break chances in game five to remain within one break deficit and faced two match points on serve at 3-5.
He saved those with brave hitting and held thanks to a service winner that pulled him back to 4-5. Untroubled on serve so far, Djokovic lost his focus a bit in the tenth game. He hit a double fault to give serve away and keep Nikolay in contention in the set’s closing stages.
Nonetheless, Novak was determined to finish the job without playing a decider. He broke at 15 in game 11 when Davydenko netted a forehand and served for the victory in the next one. Djokovic hit two winners at 6-5 to move over the top and celebrate the title in the last ATP Finals edition in Shanghai.
