- Novak Djokovic defeated Milos Raonic in the Western and Southern Open finals.
- The Serb became the only player to win all the Masters 1000 tournament twice.
- Raonic once again lost the finals against Novak.
- Osaka withdrew from the finals, and Victoria Azarenka got the title.
Novak’s Run Continues
This was the 11th straight win for Djokovic against Raonic, in the same number of matches. The Serb seems to be an enigma for the Canadian, who started the contest furiously but slowed down afterward.
The final result was 2-1 for the No.1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. This was the 23rd win for Novak since the season started, without a single loss.
“I am trying to make the most of my career, trying to use this time when I feel that I am physically, mentally, emotionally, game-wise at [my] peak and playing some of the best tennis that I have ever played,” Djokovic said. “Going on an unbeaten run so far this year obviously brings even more confidence each match.”
Novak won the Cincinnati Masters for the second time in his career, and besides being the only guy with all the ATP 1000 tournaments in his collection, he became the only with two titles at each. This was the 35th Masters title in his career, which tied him with Rafael Nadal at the No.1 place in the all-time list.
Yet, the Serb went through a lot of trouble to lift the trophy. Raonic was relentless in the opening set, hurting the Joker all the time. It could be possible that a three-hour match against Bautista-Agut had a negative impact on his focus, but as time went by, Djokovic was becoming more and more aggressive, stopping Raonic’s swing.
A couple of big points, solid returns, and he would get a break-point, which turned out to be the difference in the second set. The third saw Raonic starting better again and breaking Novak’s serve. Still, one of the all-time best responded with two straight break-points, and that is something the Canadian player didn’t have an answer to.
“It’s great to have tennis back after such a long lay-off around the world, being devastated by COVID. It’s great to have a lot of sports back,” he said.
This was his fourth Masters finals and the fourth defeat. Three of them were against Djokovic.
Injury Prevents Osaka From Playing
The Japanese player was a favorite against Victoria Azarenka per many, but she couldn’t beat the Belar player due to a hamstring injury. Osaka felt unable to play, and had to withdraw.
“I’m sorry to have to withdraw today with an injury,” Osaka wrote in a statement. “I pulled my left hamstring yesterday in the second set tiebreak and it has not recovered overnight as I had hoped.”
Up next we have the US Open coming up this Monday. The eyes of the entire world will be pointed to Flushing Meadows because of all the things going on all over the globe. Many players weren’t exactly thrilled with the way the organizers responded to their doubts regarding the health and safety measures, but they agreed to play.
