Novak Begins Record-Tying Quest In London Against Isner

After an epic comeback year, there remains one more record for Novak Djokovic to chase in the final week of the 2018 ATP World Tour season. The Serb seeks a sixth title at the world’s biggest indoor tennis tournament to tie the mark Roger Federer set back in 2011, when he most recently claimed the crown.

Novak’s quest begins Monday night against tournament danger man John Isner, the 6’ 10” American who can take the racquet out a player’s hand with arguably the best serve in the game. But Djokovic has shown an ability to put racquet on ball against Isner like few others and has won their past five meetings, including the most recent three without dropping a set.

Isner, who has two wins against the Serb in 10 meetings, the last of which was in Cincinnati in 2013, knows the difficulty of the challenge ahead. “I’m up against it for sure. Novak has won this event five times. He’s the player to beat this week for sure… [but] it’s a good spot for me, because I don’t have much to lose. I’m definitely the underdog.”

On Sunday, Djokovic was honoured on court for finishing year-end No. 1 for the fifth time, tying Federer and Jimmy Connors and moving to within one of Pete Sampras’ record of six.

“Next to the Grand Slams and the ATP Finals, being No. 1 is probably the ultimate challenge in our sport,” Djokovic said. “It’s the pinnacle of the entire season. I’m very proud of that achievement and it’s extra special this year because of the whole process and the journey that I’ve been through in the past 15 months. In particular, the past eight to 10 months.”

Earlier Monday, two of the best big men in the game go at it, with Alexander Zverev taking a 5-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage over Marin Cilic into their group opener.

Zverev has won the past five meetings, but the most recent four have all gone three sets, and his first victory in Montpellier in 2016 was in two tie-breaks.

Cilic is looking to reach the semi-finals for the first time in four appearances in London. After early losses in Tokyo, Shanghai and Basel, Cilic rediscovered his best form at the Rolex Paris Masters last week. The 6′ 6″ right-hander defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, before ending Djokovic’s 30-set winning streak in a three-set loss to the eventual runner-up.

“In Paris, last week, I played great tennis,” said Cilic. “I am feeling good at the moment and [I am] very excited. Small margins are going to make the difference. Playing the top guys is always a big challenge and matches against them are always very close and very tight.”

Did You Know?
Djokovic won four consecutive titles at The O2 arena between 2012-2015. He also won in Shanghai in 2008.