Belgrade, Nov.27, 2009 (Serbia Today) - Whatever characterized Novak Djokovic’s winning performance against Nikolay Davydenko – the fighting spirit, sharpness and patience – had vanished without a trace when the Serb took on Robin Soderling. The Swedish powerhouse maintained his winning streak in Group B by beating Djokovic 7-6 6-1 at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. As much as his position looked positive after the first-day defeat of Davydenko, Djokovic now face a formidable task of trying to qualify for the knockout stage. Djokovic’s chance lies in the clash with Rafael Nadal on Friday in the two stars’ final game of Group B in London.
Djokovic’s own words how fatigue was catching up with him in London had their bitter confirmation in the match against Soderling, although Novak was on a winning streak of five head-to-head victories against the Swede.
Nonetheless, it was Novak who first came close to breaking his opposition, but he wasted his chance. Soderling was confident and was three break points up at 5-4 in the opening set. Both Djokovic and Soderling held their serves and the set went into a tie-breaker. Djokovic took an early 3-2 lead in the final game, but failed to claim the set after more than one hour of play. Conversely, Soderling confirmed his high-power status brandishing his impeccable forehand and incredibly precise serving.
The dropping of the opening set demoralized the weary Djokovic, as Soderling flew around the court and dictated the tempo from the base line. The set eventually led to a predictable 6-1 win by Davydenko.
Djokovic meets Rafael Nadal in the final match and he needs a win in order to progress to the next round.
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