Podsumowanie sezonu 2018

[DUN I LOVE]

Przepiękny baner tak w ogóle, kolejny zresztą. Nie wiem kto to tworzy, ale zasługuje na uznanie.

Jaccol oczywiście.

[Federasta20]

Szkoda, że nie ma w zestawieniu Isner-Anderson. Męczący był w odbiorze, ale w pewnym sensie historyczny, bo doprowadził do skrócenia meczów od przyszłego roku.

A teraz Twoje notowania spadły troszkę Wystarczy abyś pilnował debla MTT i nie skomplikował Wimbledonu.

Jaccol55, ekstra robota

[jaccol55]

Jaccol55, ekstra robota

Dziękuję.

[Mario]

Panowie, przecież te wszystkie wybory lecą wg jednego schematu. Znajdź długie spotkanie z udziałem fabstera w dalekiej fazie turnieju, najlepiej z jakimś znanym nazwiskiem, a jak jest już drugi fabster obok, to w ogóle nie trzeba nawet oglądać meczu. Później jeszcze przyporządkują miejsce tak nieudolnie, że połowa się wku*** i po zabawie. Ostatni raz interesowało mnie to jakoś w 2012.

Więc szacun, że wam się chce.

[Kiefer]

Tutaj się zgadzam w 100%, ale oczywiście nie ma wątpliwości, że te pierwsze trzy mecze były generalnie bardzo dobre pod każdym względem, poziomu, emocji etc. W pierwszej trójce zmieniłbym tylko kolejność, czwartego za bardzo nie widziałem, a piąte owszem i nie wierzę, że było aż tak źle by tak marne widowisko usadowić na piątym miejscu, to już tak pierwszy z brzegu Djokovic - Czekinato na RG o niebo przyjemniej się oglądało. Taki finał Australijski to moim zdaniem najgorsza reklama sportu, nie dość, że trwa długo to jeszcze męczy oczy, to ja już wolę kiedy męczy krótko.

[Federasta20]

Djokovic z Czekinato to będzie w upsetach pewnie i nie chcieli dwukrotnie powtarzać. Obok niego znajdzie się pewnie Fed z Millmanem w NY i Coriciem w Halle, Cilic z Pellą na Wimblu i Nole z Karenem w Paryżu. W tej kategorii też powinien być Nadal z Thiemem, ale skoro dali w najlepszych Bo3 to nie wiem.

No niestety tak skoro na listach z 2015 czy 2016 na siłę wciskany jest słaby Nadal i to na #1! Jest nawet Leoś Mayer i Joao Souza! Próżno natomiast wyszukiwać Kyrgiosa z Seppim czy Murraya z Tsongą albo chociaż Wawrinki z Evansem, bardzo dramatyczne starcia na nieporównywalnie wyższym poziomie i kluczowe/historyczne dla turnieju.

[Mario]

Akurat Souza vs Leo Mayer było całkiem spoko, długi mecz, który zapisał się w historii DC.

Zresztą, ja o best of five w ogóle bym się nie czepiał, tych spotkań jest jednak zdecydowanie mniej, więc siłą rzeczy wybory dużo łatwiej wybronić. Dużo bardziej irytuje best of three, gdzie gdy jeszcze w miarę to się śledziło, mogłem w każdym sezonie podać ~10 meczów, które bardziej na to zasługiwało, ale trzeba dać Nadala z Murrayem, Djoko z Federerem, czy jakieś pseudozacięte starcie z udziałem wspomnianych grajków.

[Żilu]

[Żilu]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YL8fug ... mfsR4eQusl[/youtube]

[Żilu]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7tA5gY ... sl&index=2[/youtube]

[arti]

[Jacques D.]

Trochę ich poniosło, emocje ogromne, ale mecz Djokovica z Nadalem był po prostu kosmiczny, być może najlepszy z ich udziałem.

Według mnie jednak Madryt'09. Ale mecz faktycznie świetny.

[DUN I LOVE]

Przemek, a USO11? Tam jednak intensywność była niespotykana.

[Damian]

Novak, Rafa & Roger Lead 2018 Milestone Achievers

Spoiler:

Best of 2018: Milestones
Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com looks at the key milestones that were reached in 2018.

Novak Completes Career Golden Masters
Five times, Novak Djokovic had fallen short in the championship match of the Western & Southern Open. But on 19 August, when Djokovic stepped on centre court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, there was nothing that could prevent him from making history. By defeating Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 to claim his first trophy at the event, Djokovic became the first singles player to win all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events. He sits second all-time with 32 Masters 1000 titles, trailing only Rafael Nadal (33).


Isner’s 10,000th Ace
John Isner struck his historic 10,000th ace in the fourth game of the deciding set in his quarter-final in Houston against compatriot Steve Johnson. The American became just the fourth player to join the elite group, which includes Ivo Karlovic, Roger Federer and Goran Ivanisevic. He has since leapfrogged Ivanisevic and Federer, and currently sits second all-time with 10,937 aces.

Isner also finished the season atop the ATP World Tour in aces for a record-tying sixth time, hitting 1,213 of them in 2018, which is 131 more than second-placed Kevin Anderson. It is the fourth consecutive year in which he has tallied more than 1,000 aces, and the sixth time he has done so overall.

Isner

Lopez’s Grand Slam Streak
At Wimbledon, Feliciano Lopez played in his 66th consecutive Grand Slam main draw, breaking Roger Federer’s previous record of 65. The Spaniard, who will take the reins as tournament director at the 2019 Mutua Madrid Open, extended his record to 67 at the US Open.

“When I was [thinking] about breaking the record, I thought, ‘Wow, I'm going to beat Federer at something, which is a lot already’,” Lopez said after his first-round win at Wimbledon. “It's only a number, and I'm really proud of my consistency. It’s not about the number of Grand Slams played. It's about how many years I have been playing at the top level.”

Roger Returns To No. 1 At Age 36
By overtaking Nadal on 19 February at 36 years old, Federer became the oldest player to capture the No. 1 ATP Ranking since the Rankings were created in 1973. It had been five years and 106 days since the Swiss had previously held top spot, a record for longest time between stints atop tennis' mountain.


Rafa Wins 11th Titles In Monte-Carlo, Barcelona & Roland Garros
Nadal made history not once, but three times this season. Entering the year, he had been the only player to win 10 titles at a single event. And in 2018, he continued to push the boundaries, lifting his 11th trophy at three tournaments: the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and Roland Garros. Monte-Carlo was the first of three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events he would win this year (also Rome and Toronto), which extended his record for most trophies at the elite level to 33.

Roger Claims 20th Slam
Federer defeated Marin Cilic to win the Australian Open, triumphing in Melbourne in a five-set final for the second year in a row. By winning his 20th Grand Slam championship, Federer became the first man in history to win that many majors. He also equalled Djokovic and Roy Emerson’s record of six titles at the tournament.

You May Also Like: Federer Beats Cilic For 20th Major Crown
Rafa Claims 900th Victory
Nadal defeated German Maximilian Marterer in the fourth round at Roland Garros this year to become the fifth player in the Open Era to reach the 900-wins milestone. It was only fitting that the Spaniard accomplished the feat on the Parisian terre battue, where he has won the trophy 11 times and tallied an 86-2 record. Nadal, now 918-189, is just 30 victories from tying Guillermo Vilas for fourth place in the Open Era match-wins leaderboard.

Nadal

Novak Earns 800th Win
On the surface, Djokovic’s 7-5, 6-1 win against Adrian Mannarino at The Queen’s Club seemed ordinary, a relatively straightforward 79-minute victory for the Serbian. But it meant more for Djokovic, as it was his 800th tour-level match win. Through that victory, Djokovic owned an 800-171 record, equating to an 82.4 winning percentage, fifth among that elite group, with just three more losses than Nadal, who was 800-168 when he hit that milestone.

Djokovic's triumph against Mannarino came when he was the No. 22 player in the ATP Rankings. But after a 6-6 start to the year, the Serbian would win 47 of his final 53 matches to ascend back to World No. 1, making the biggest in-season climb to year-end No. 1 since the Rankings were introduced in 1973.

Djokovic

Gasquet/Verdasco Throw A 500 Party
Less than one month apart, veterans Richard Gasquet and Fernando Verdasco both earned their 500th tour-level wins. Gasquet became the first Frenchman to reach the milestone on 19 April, beating Mischa Zverev in Monte-Carlo, where he became the youngest player to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 match 16 years earlier. Verdasco followed that up on 8 May by becoming the ninth active player to accomplish the feat with a victory against Paolo Lorenzi in Madrid.

Mike Bryan Back To No. 1
At 40 years and 78 days old, Mike Bryan became the oldest player to top the ATP Doubles Rankings on 16 July. While the American already owned the record for the most weeks atop those standings, Bryan has not let go of the spot since, and he has now spent 475 weeks as World No. 1.

Bryan's victory with Jack Sock at Wimbledon not only propelled him to the top of tennis' doubles mountain, though. It was Bryan's record-breaking 17th men's doubles Grand Slam trophy to lead all players in the Open Era. Bryan then claimed major title No. 18 at the US Open, also triumphing with Sock, before capping off the season with his compatriot by lifting the trophy at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Bryan

Paes Reaches No. 750
Leander Paes, a 54-time tour-level doubles champion who first reached the top spot in the ATP Doubles Rankings 19 years ago, became the sixth player in ATP World Tour history (since 1973) to record 750 doubles match wins on 7 April. The Indian legend joined Mike Bryan, Daniel Nestor, Bob Bryan, Todd Woodbridge and Max Mirnyi in the exclusive club. At 45, he will finish inside the Top 100 for the 24th consecutive year. Read Tribute

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/be ... milestones

[Jacques D.]

Przemek, a USO11? Tam jednak intensywność była niespotykana.

Madryt 09, RG 13, Wim 18, USO i IW/Miami 11 to dla mnie taka czołówka tej rywalizacji (co prawda spojrzałem na szybko na listę i nie widziałem chyba 3 meczów). Madryt jakoś najbardziej zapamiętałem, może dlatego, że oglądając na żywo, realnie się wówczas emocjonowałem, bo jeszcze wtedy mocno kibicowałem Djokoviciowi (podobnie jak w Montrealu z tamtego roku). Następne niestety, oglądałem już z rosnącą obojętnością.

[arti]

[arti]

Rivalries of 2018: Nadal vs. Thiem

Spoiler:

Four years ago, Rafael Nadal played Dominic Thiem, who was 20 years old, for the first time. Nadal beat the Austrian at Roland Garros in two hours and five minutes with the loss of just seven games en route to lifting his ninth Coupe des Mousquetaires in 10 years. But the Spaniard certainly noticed the talent in front of him.
“I didn't have the backhand, I didn't have that power," Nadal said at the time.
Nadal would win five of his first seven FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Thiem, who was proving himself one of the best clay-court players in the world. But in 2018, the pair’s rivalry ascended to a new level.
Nadal and Thiem clashed four times, including in the Roland Garros final and the US Open quarter-finals, one of the year’s best matches. Both Top 10 players in the ATP Rankings, the duo contested some of the highest-quality clashes of the season.
But perhaps that was hard to foresee when they met for the first time in 2018 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. There, Nadal dismantled Thiem in 68 minutes with the loss of just two games, the most lopsided match of their rivalry. The eventual champion lost just six service points and broke serve five times.
“That is not a normal result against a player [like Dominic]," Nadal said. "He's one of the best players of the world, especially on clay."
But Nadal would go 26-1 on clay courts this year. to move to 50-2 on the surface in 2017-18 combined. But like in 2017, his only loss on clay this season came against Thiem.
The Austrian beat Nadal in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open. Thiem would go on to reach his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at that event.
“I had to really increase my level compared to Monte-Carlo to beat Rafa here," Thiem said. "He's in really great form. He won 21 matches on clay and 50 sets. This is amazing. So I had to play an extraordinary match, and that's what I did."
While Thiem is known to sometimes drop way back in the court, he stayed right in on the baseline to take time away from Nadal and control play.
The stakes would get even higher at Roland Garros, where Thiem advanced to his first Grand Slam final. But once again, Nadal was across the net. And this time, the Spaniard asserted his dominance on the terre battue, winning the title in Paris for the 11th time in the pair’s biggest match to date.
“When you start the clay-court season that Dominic, he's one of these players that has a chance to win every tournament that he's playing, and maybe even more here in Roland Garros because he's strong physically," Nadal said.
That was their 10th match, and all of those had come on clay.
But Nadal and Thiem saved the best clash of their rivalry, to date, for last. Thiem served Nadal the Spaniard's first bagel at the US Open in 14 years in the quarter-finals, ripping shot after shot from the first point of the match to stun the favourite early. But the top seed eventually battled back for an epic five-set victory, finishing it off in a deciding-set tie-break. Thiem threw all his weapons at Nadal, blasting balls throughout the match. But the left-hander outlasted Thiem in four hours and 49 minutes.
“It's going to be stuck in my mind forever. Forever I'm going to remember this match, for sure,” Thiem said. “It's cruel sometimes, tennis, because I think this match didn't really deserve a loser."
The match showed exactly how enthralling this rivalry could be with both men at their best. They might be the two biggest ball-strikers on the ATP World Tour, putting everything they have into every shot like in a heavyweight championship boxing match.
For every heavy topspin cross-court forehand from Nadal, Thiem answered back with a big cut on his one-handed backhand. And for every time Nadal tried to take his two-handed backhand early and launch it flat like it was coming out of a cannon, Thiem was there to counter with a bigger blow off his forehand.
Their US Open clash was a perfect way to showcase one of the sport’s great budding rivalries. And based on the result, with the match going the distance, it’s safe to say that fans have plenty more to look forward to between Nadal and Thiem in 2019 and beyond.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/be ... adal-thiem

[Kiefer]

Przemek, a USO11? Tam jednak intensywność była niespotykana.

Madryt 09, RG 13, Wim 18, USO i IW/Miami 11 to dla mnie taka czołówka tej rywalizacji (co prawda spojrzałem na szybko na listę i nie widziałem chyba 3 meczów). Madryt jakoś najbardziej zapamiętałem, może dlatego, że oglądając na żywo, realnie się wówczas emocjonowałem, bo jeszcze wtedy mocno kibicowałem Djokoviciowi (podobnie jak w Montrealu z tamtego roku). Następne niestety, oglądałem już z rosnącą obojętnością.

Jak mowa o Montrealu to SF 2013 był rewelacyjny. Niesamowite jednak, że 6,5 roku po Australijskim finale, który może nie był jakiś świetny, ale był niezwykle wymagający, potrafili zagrać tak genialny mecz na Wimbledonie.

[Damian]

Rivalries Of 2018: Federer vs. Coric

Spoiler:

ATP World Tour Season In Review: Best Rivalries

Prior to 2018, Borna Coric and Roger Federer had met just once on the ATP World Tour. On that occasion, at the 2015 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Federer cruised past the Croatian in just 56 minutes to reach the championship match in the Middle East.

This year, none of their three FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes showed any resemblance to that meeting. With three years of learning experience under his belt, Coric's three milestone moments in 2018 were all highlighted by clashes against Federer. With two semi-final encounters and one championship match meeting in 2018, Coric and Federer only met in the latter stages of events as the stakes and both players' form reached peak levels.

After defeating Kevin Anderson in a final-set tie-break to reach his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Coric was handed the challenge of trying to end Federer's personal record-tying 16-match unbeaten streak to start the season. (Federer began 2018 in top form, claiming his 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open before returning to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings after winning the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in February.)

Coric made a dream start against Federer in the Californian desert, snatching a late break in the opening set before earning an immediate second-set advantage after firing a forehand winner. With Pete Sampras and Rod Laver in attendance, it appeared as though the young Croatian might be able to earn a surprise win over the World No. 1 on one of the grandest stages in the sport. But, as Coric neared the finish line, nerves settled into the 21-year-old's game.

Federer struck just four unforced errors in the last four games of the second set as Coric's serve began to fall short and the Swiss took full advantage. Coric once again led by a break in the decider, but Federer clawed his way back into contention before eventually breaking to love to claim a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory and set a personal record 17-0 start to an ATP World Tour season.

“I should have lost [the] match," said Federer. "I was down twice a break in the third, I was down a break in the second. So no doubt about it, this was definitely the toughest match [of the year so far]."

After registering back-to-back three-set victories over Taylor Fritz and Kevin Anderson, Coric rose 13 spots to No. 36 in the ATP Rankings following his run to the semi-finals in Indian Wells.

“It was very enjoyable, but at the same time it was tough. It doesn't feel great to lose this match, but I know that's tennis. I need to look at it from the positive side, definitely, just the whole tournament, and this match as well.”


Three months later, Federer arrived in Halle in search of his 10th Gerry Weber Open trophy. After capturing his first MercedesCup title in Stuttgart the week before, the nine-time champion advanced to his 12th final in Halle riding a 20-match grass-court winning streak. Across the net was Coric, who, prior to his arrival at the ATP World Tour 500 event, owned just two wins in nine tour-level matches on grass.

But, despite his inexperience on the surface, Coric had defeated Alexander Zverev for the loss of just five games en route to the final. Federer needed to lift the trophy in Halle to remain at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, but it was Coric who ended the week with the trophy in his arms after a 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 victory.

Saving two set points at 4/6 in the first set-tie-break, Coric took a one-set lead over the World No. 1 in dramatic fashion. Despite conceding the second set after dropping serve at 3-4, Coric reeled off four straight games from 2-2 in the decider to charge towards the biggest title of his career.

"It is the most unbelievable feeling, [to beat Federer]," said Coric. "I looked up to him when I was younger, watching his matches back at home with my mum, my dad and my sister. Just playing him here today was a very special moment and beating him just makes it even bigger for me."


The result lifted Coric to a career-high No. 21 in the ATP Rankings and the Croatian continued to improve that position throughout the remainder of the season. In the final instalment of their 2018 trilogy, Coric and Federer clashed in the semi-finals of another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event; the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

After tough three-set wins over Daniil Medvedev and Roberto Bautista Agut in his opening two matches, Federer arrived in the last four with great confidence following a convincing straight-sets win over an in-form Kei Nishikori. Coric had also been made to work hard for a position in his second Masters 1000 semi-final, navigating his way past Stan Wawrinka and Juan Martin del Potro to set a third meeting of the season against the Swiss.

With confidence from his previous two meetings in 2018 against Federer, Coric produced one of the best wins of his career, beating Federer 6-4, 6-4 in a dominant serving display to reach the biggest final of his career.

"It's absolutely there. If not the best [win], then it's in the Top 2, Top 3," said Coric. "It's really something special."

The Croatian landed nine aces, dropped just six points behind his first serve and did not face a break point to overcome the defending champion in 74 minutes. Tying his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Federer for the first time, at 2-2, the Halle champion also guaranteed himself a new career-high of No. 13 in the ATP Rankings heading into his final encounter against Novak Djokovic.

"It's one of the best matches I have ever played. I was just feeling through the ball," said Coric. "I think I served the best in my life, for sure. I was going for the angles. I was going for the body. Everything was going in."


Ending the year at No. 12 in the ATP Rankings, it would appear that Coric and Federer may be forced to continue their trend of only meeting at the back end of tournaments in 2019. As one of the emerging talents on the ATP World Tour, will Coric be able to continue his rapid rise next year and continue his winning streak against Federer? Or will the 99-time tour-level champion find a way to reverse his recent fortunes against the 22-year-old and regain control of their FedEx ATP Head2Head series? If 2018 is anything to go by, it won't be an easy task for either man.

Coric vs. Federer: 2018 Meetings

Event Surface Round
Winner
Score
BNP Paribas Open Hard SF Federer 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Gerry Weber Open Grass F Coric 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2
Rolex Shanghai Masters Hard SF Coric 6-4, 6-4

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/be ... erer-coric

[Damian]

Rivalries of 2018: Cilic vs. Djokovic

Spoiler:

ATP World Tour Season In Review: Best Rivalries

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2018. Today we feature Marin Cilic vs. Novak Djokovic.

Marin Cilic and Novak Djokovic were both aiming for big pushes in 2018 — one to break into the Top 2 for the first time, the other attempting to return to his peak performance days. Their four FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes — at the Fever-Tree Championships, the Western & Southern Open, the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals — showcased precisely what confidence and form can do to transform a match in a matter of points.

While Djokovic had won his first 14 matches against Cilic, the Croatian finally snapped the streak in November 2016 with a 6-4, 7-6(2) quarter-final victory at the Rolex Paris Masters. Fast forward 18 months and Cilic, back in the familiar surroundings of The Queen’s Club in west London, where he lifted the 2012 Fever-Tree Championships trophy, was hungry for success once more.

In the afterglow of a runner-up finish at the Australian Open in January, which saw him rise to a career-high No. 3 in the ATP Rankings, Cilic came face-to-face with Djokovic, whose form had flickered (a 6-6 start to June 2018) following his return from a long-time elbow injury.

In an encounter that lasted almost three hours, Cilic highlighted his grass-court pedigree and a resurgent Djokovic his shot-making ability in a thrilling high-quality final – one of the matches of the 2018 ATP Tour season. Cilic, on the brink of defeat at 4-5, 30/40 in the second set, landed a powerful serve out wide, then overcame a 1/4 deficit in the tie-break en route to a 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory at the Fever-Tree Championships. Read More & Watch Highlights

"I was just trying to stay mentally in it," said Cilic, after capturing his first ATP Tour title since May 2017 in Istanbul. "And definitely, it was an extremely tough match. No breaks for me until that last [return] game. I definitely feel relieved that I won it and what a great week."

Djokovic, who had reached his maiden final at the grass-court event in 2008, falling to Rafael Nadal in a tight two-hour, 16-minute battle, admitted, "He deserved to win. It's a tough loss for me today, obviously. But I have to see it from a positive side. I haven't played a final at any event in almost a year, so this felt great."

Having lost his serve just once en route to the title match, his performances at The Queen’s Club proved to be a springboard for Djokovic to a remarkable second half of the season.


On 18 August, Djokovic met Cilic once more at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. But the Serbian was transformed, a different proposition entirely, having won 13 of his past 14 matches that included his fourth trophy at Wimbledon. In yet another enthralling encounter, Djokovic gave himself a shot at history with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 semi-final victory over Cilic in two hours and 32 minutes. Read More & Watch Highlights

For all his recent success, Djokovic considered his serve “still a work in progress.” He won just eight return points in the first set, but broke twice for an early advantage, before Cilic took a 5-1 lead to gain the momentum.

Djokovic took control of the decider when he broke in the eighth game, then later explained, "There are days where I'm able to serve, consistently well throughout the match. There are days when it goes up and down."

As a five-time runner-up in Cincinnati, Djokovic added, "Obviously this time I'm hoping that I can get my hands on the trophy. History is also on the line and I'm aware of that and that motivates me even more."

One day later, Djokovic did just that, beating Roger Federer to become the first player to complete the Career Golden Masters of all nine ATP Masters 1000 crowns (since the tournament series was established in 1990).


In the final week of the regular ATP Tour season, Djokovic had Cilic’s number again in a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 quarter-final victory at the Rolex Paris Masters. Cilic capitalised on Djokovic’s service woes to take a 2-1 lead in the decider, however, after Djokovic broke his racquet in frustration in the next game, the momentum shifted.

Afterwards, Djokovic explained, “This was the hardest match for me. Cilic has a lot of skills. He's powerful. He's very efficient on his serve. It's not easy to play such a player who is so aggressive. This match was a great challenge. It's a great thing to have a win tonight. I'm getting confidence from this.”

Two weeks later at the Nitto ATP Finals, Djokovic ended Cilic’s season with a 7-6(7), 6-2 victory at The O2 in London, when the Serbian saved one set point at 5/6 in the tie-break of the one-hour and 35-minute encounter. Djokovic’s 14-match winning against Top 10 opponents came to an end against Alexander Zverev in the title match on 18 November, but since his runner-up finish to Cilic at the Fever-Tree Championships on 24 June, the 31-year-old won 35 of his 38 tour-level matches.

In addition to four big titles, his haul helped him to become the first player to be ranked outside the Top 20 to finish the same season at No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings.

Cilic vs. Djokovic: 2018 Meetings

Event Surface Round
Winner
Score
London/Queen's Club
Grass F Cilic 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3
Cincinnati
Hard SF Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Paris Hard QF Djokovic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Nitto ATP Finals
Hard
RR
Djokovic 7-6(7), 6-2
More Stories Like This In: Best Of 2018 ATP Heritage Best Rivalries 2018 Novak Djokovic Marin Cilic

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