Djokovic wins Monte Carlo Masters title
Novak
Djokovic won the Monte Carlo Masters for the second time in three years by
defeating sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 on Sunday.
Djokovic,
who has lost only two matches in 2015, became the first player in tennis
history to win the first three Masters tournament of the year after completing
the Indian Wells-Miami sweep this spring.
In windy and
humid conditions, both players struggled with their serve and made several
unforced errors in a final that lacked rhythm and was suspended by rain.
Berdych put
Djokovic on the back foot in the early stages with his powerful groundstrokes
and forced the Serb into a deciding set for the first time this week but was
ultimately made to pay for his erratic display.
With his
23rd Masters title, Djokovic extended his winning streak to 17 matches,
including a straight-set win over clay specialist Rafael Nadal in the
semifinals on Saturday.
Chasing a
second Masters title 10 years after his breakthrough at the Paris Masters,
Berdych raced into a 2-0 lead, dropping just two points on the way.
But Berdych
could not keep hitting with such accuracy for long, allowing Djokovic to break
back in the sixth game when he made three mistakes on his forehand.
The Czech
big-hitter dropped his serve again to trail 5-3 but Djokovic could not serve
out the set. The Serb raised his level in the 12th game, claiming the set on
his third opportunity.
Berdych
failed to seize his chance in the fifth game of the second set when Djokovic
double-faulted to find himself 0-40 down. The Serb kept his head cool and won
five consecutive points to move up 3-2 before the match was suspended for 70
minutes.
The rain
delay had a positive impact on Berdych. He fended off a break point after a
long rally punctuated by a smashed winner and was rewarded with a break in the
seventh game as he pushed Djokovic into a flow of mistakes with a series of
deep returns.
But the
momentum swung again toward Djokovic as Berdych made five unforced errors in
the first two games of the decider and dropped his serve for the fourth time.
Djokovic
broke again for a 4-0 lead, but the eight-time Grand Slam champion failed to
hold his serve in the next game.
He overcame
another break point with a kicked second serve to move up 5-2 and raised his
arms in triumph as he returned to his chair.
The Serb
sealed the win on his second match point when his opponent sent a return long.
