Unscathed Djokovic clinches Japan open
World number one Novak Djokovic clinched the Japan Open yesterday, dispelling concerns about the shoulder injury that forced him out of the US Open.
The Serbian star crushed Australian qualifier John Millman 6-3, 6-2 to mark his 10th win in a tournament main draw debut.
Djokovic, playing in his first Japanese competition, dominated throughout the week, never losing a single set to claim the trophy at the Ariake Colosseum, a venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Beaming Djokovic, the winner of 16 Grand Slams, now goes to the Shanghai Masters, where he is the top seed.
“I didn’t drop a set, so I played a fantastic tournament. Everything is positive in my experience on and off the court, the way I feel and motivated for Shanghai, going there with great confidence,” he said.
Djokovic started the Japan Open by taking part in a doubles game and switched to higher gears as the week progressed, never allowing his opponents, including world number 15 David Goffin, to pose a serious threat.
In the final, Djokovic grabbed an early break in the first set to take a 3-1 lead with a series of sizzling serves and precision returns that had Millman scrambling across the baseline.
The Serb kept sending sharp returns to deep corners, mixing them with elegant drop shots.
Djokovic fired six aces, never committed a double fault, and scored points on 26 of his 30 successful first serves.
He never faced a break point, while Millman managed to survive only one of four break points during the match.
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