LONDON, November 10 2014: Novak Djokovic, who is bidding to become year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the third time, began his quest for a fourth crown at the season finale on Monday.
Djokovic remained perfect against Marin Cilic when he recorded a 6-1, 6-1 win against the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals debutant in 56 minutes during the evening session. It was his 58th match win of the season.
“Winning in straight sets helps a lot for the rest of the tournament,” said Djokovic, who is riding a 28-match indoor winning streak. “But I’m going to try to win every match I play.”
Djokovic came through a 10-point second game, but thereafter was rarely pressed by this year’s US Open champion, who was broken three times in the 27-minute first set.
Djokovic dropped his serve to love at 2-0 in the second set, but immediately regained his composure to improve to 11-0 lifetime against Cilic, who committed 22 unforced errors.
“I felt that Novak played really, really solid today,” said Cilic. “I felt a little bit uncomfortable on the court, rusty… I felt that I was not hitting it clean. That’s always difficult, especially against Novak, to get away with a win when you’re not playing so good.”
It was Djokovic’s 16th victory against a Top 10 opponent in 2014. He is unbeaten in 11 matches at the season finale, where he is a two-time defending champion.
Source: ATP
