Novak Djokovic helped seal victory for Serbia in the inaugural ATP Cup team event after defeating his long-term rival Rafael Nadal in singles on Sunday before going on to play a pivotal role in the deciding doubles match against Spain.
With the final locked at 1-1 after the singles were shared, Djokovic partnered veteran Victor Troicki to beat Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4 and win the title. The 16-times Grand Slam champion proved to be a calming influence throughout, especially after the Serbian pair fell behind early in the match.
He used his powerful serve and fleet-footed returns to haul his country back into the first set and create a momentum shift which Serbia rode all the way to a victory completed in the early hours of Monday morning here.
Djokovic earlier beat Nadal 6-2, 7-6(4), extending his dominance over the Spaniard on hardcourts, a surface Nadal has not beaten him on since 2013.
Djokovic has created the blueprint to beat the Spaniard on hardcourts, although he is one of the very few players good enough to follow the instructions.
Holding his line
The Serbian held his line, and was rarely pushed back deep into the court by the Spaniard’s heavy spin, a position from which Nadal usually dictates terms.
“There were some incredible exchanges today,” said Djokovic. “I started off the match perfectly really, everything worked for me.”
Earlier, Roberto Bautista Agut completed a flawless tournament by defeating Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-1.
The result: Serbia bt Spain 2-1 [Dusan Lajovic lost to Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 6-1; Novak Djokovic bt Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6(4); Viktor Troicki & Djokovic bt Feliciano Lopez & Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-4].
