The six-time winner struggled for rhythm and lost 7-6 (10-8) 5-7 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in four hours and 48 minutes
Browsing: Novak Djokovic
France’s Gael Monfils, without even playing, jumped one place to equalise his best ever rank
Despite a relatively easy path to the championship match (he was granted one walkover and two retirements), Djokovic was still bothered by a collection of medical woes
Stifling humidity was still a factor as Wawrinka beat Japan’s sixth seed Kei Nishikori 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-2 hours later.
Wawrinka said: “It’s really humid, really hot. I knew it would be tough
The players shared a lengthy embrace at the net after match point, Djokovic broke down, Del Potro could barely believe the enormity of what he had done and the spirit of the Olympic Games was there for all to see
Vesely started the second set solidly, but Djokovic’s first break arrived in the sixth game and he went on to win four games in a row and level the match 6-2
Of the Serb’s sextet of triumphs on the Rod Laver Arena, four have now come at the expense of Murray, who is still without a victory from his five outings in the final of the first Grand Slam event of the year
The net-rushing Federer responded brilliantly in the third as a partisan crowd roared him on at a flood-lit Rod Laver Arena
However, the world number one was pushed all the way by Gilles Simon, who forced Djokovic to make 100 errors before he ultimately won through in five sets 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 4-6 6-3.
The second set was more challenging for the world number one as Seppi, who knocked out Roger Federer in the third round last year, held his serve strongly. Djokovic eventually found the breakthrough to give himself a two-set lead but his Italian opponent continued to be stubborn on the court
The two dominant players of last year, Djokovic and Williams are no strangers to the heat of the Australian summer, of course, but sweltering conditions might help expose any flaws in their early season form or fitness
The survey, conducted by the Press Agency of Poland, saw Djokovic finish with 199 votes, almost as many as the combined total for second-place finisher Formula One driver, Lewis Hamilton, and third-place finisher women’s 200m champion runner, Dafne Schippers
While World No. 2 Murray will be returning for the second season, Wawrinka will be making his debut in the five-nation tennis league, the only one of its kind in the world
The Serbian’s straight sets win over Roger Federer in Sunday’s final pushed his advantage over world number two Andy Murray to almost 8 000 points
Federer entered the final searching for his seventh success in the event, but it was the world number one who added a fifth Tour Finals title to his collection to become the first player to win the season finale four years in a row
The world number one pushed the Scot hard his his next service game, but Murray saved three break points to keep himself in the opener, before dropping service again next time around, allowing the Serb to serve it out in the next game
The Shanghai Masters is Djokovic’s ninth title this year and the 57th of his career. Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who entered the top-10, lost 2-6, 4-6 on Monday to Djokovic during the final
Djokovic broke Tsonga twice in the first set to wrap it up in 30 minutes but the World No 15 offered sterner resistance in the second set, holding his first four service games
The top two seeded players had to wait three hours before taking to the court due to heavy rain in New York and it was Djokovic who looked the sharper of the two players after the long wait, as the Serb broke his veteran opponent early in the first set
World number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic, complained to the umpire that he could smell cannabis on court during his…