Novak Djokovic has become the first player in the 28-year history of ATP World Tour Masters 1000s to win all nine elite tournaments and complete the career Golden Masters by winning his first title, in his sixth final, at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Sunday.

They are some of the sport’s hardest events to win, forcing players to test their skills in varying weather conditions against the very best in the ATP Rankings right from the first round, from the heat and humidity of the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open presented by Itau in March through to the controlled indoor conditions of the Rolex Paris Masters in November. “A complete arsenal and the absence of a weakness is integral to completing the [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 sweep,” said Justin Gimelstob. In the 258 tournaments since the elite level of ATP World Tour tournaments were created for the start of the 1990 season, no player has managed to win at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments to complete a career Golden Masters. Until now.

Since Djokovic broke Rafael Nadal’s 46-match winning streak at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, for his first trophy in Monaco in April 2013, the Serbian star had three times headed to Mason, Ohio for the Western & Southern Open, on the cusp of sporting history. “It’s always been at the back of my mind, adding extra pressure, but also motivation, as it’s what you work for,” admitted Djokovic, who has a 323-72 match wins record and 31 titles at Masters 1000 tournaments.

Five years ago, upon Djokovic’s first shot at the career Golden Masters in Cincinnati, he lost to John Isner 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-5 in the quarter-finals. The following year, he fell to an inspired Tommy Robredo 7-6(6), 7-5 in the 2014 third round and Roger Federer beat Djokovic 7-6(1), 6-3 in the 2015 final, which marked his fifth runner-up finish (also 2008-09, 2011-12). Injuries to his left wrist and right elbow, respectively, saw him miss the 2016 and 2017 editions, but this season Djokovic hit North American soil in form on the back of lifting his fourth trophy at The Championships, Wimbledon.

Adverse weather conditions in Cincinnati, compressed the order of play this week, forcing Djokovic to win four matches in three days for arguably the most significant Masters 1000 crown of his illustrious career. By comparison, 27-time Masters 1000 titlist Federer has Monte-Carlo and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia missing from his resume of the current nine Masters 1000 tournaments. Fourteen-time winner Andy Murray has yet to win in Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo, while record-holding 33-time champion Nadal has not sunk his teeth into the Miami, Rolex Shanghai Masters and Paris trophies. Andre Agassi, whose career spanned three decades, won seven of the then nine Masters 1000 tournaments prior to his retirement in September 2006.

During the height of his consistency, between November 2014 and March 2016, the 31-year-old Djokovic compiled a 56-2 record at Masters 1000 tournaments, winning nine trophies from 11 straight finals. Today, on his 12th attempt for the Cincinnati trophy, a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders in becoming the first player to capture all nine of the ATP World Tour’s elite events.

DJOKOVIC’S RECORD AT ATP WORLD TOUR MASTERS 1000 TOURNAMENTS

It is undoubtedly one of the most impressive accomplishments in all of professional tennis. Where many players would dream of lifting one ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy, Novak Djokovic now has a piece of silverware from all nine. 

Nine different cities, nine different court conditions, nine different world-class draws to navigate. After falling in five previous finals at the Western & Southern Open, the Serbian was at a loss for words when describing the impact of the moment.

“Definitely one of the most special moments in my career,” Djokovic told the assembled media in Cincinnati. “Achievements, making history in the sport that I truly love is a great privilege and honour and something that I’ll be very proud of for the rest of my life.

“I was saying previously that during this week this trophy has been a motivation. A big motivation for me. But at the same time I tried not to think about the pressure of really making history too much, because I have had already some failed attempts. 

“Coming into today’s match, it wasn’t easy psychologically because I knew I lost to him every time I played him on this court. But at the same time, I liked my chances because I felt better and better as the tournament was progressing. It was by far the best performance of the week.”

Djokovic was a demon throughout his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Roger Federer on Sunday, dismissing the seven-time champion in one hour and 24 minutes. While Federer struggled to find his rhythm off the ground and on return, Djokovic did not lift his foot off the gas, refusing to concede an inch from the baseline.

The triumph carried added significance for the Serbian, who overturned a handful of streaks with his long-awaited victory. Not only had he entered the match having lost five previous finals in Cincinnati, including three to Federer (2009, 2012 and 2015). Djokovic also stopped the Swiss in extending his perfect 7-0 mark in finals at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. 

Despite having met on 46 previous occasions, second-most in the Open Era, it was their first encounter in more than two years, and the Serbian admits that he had a clean slate in his mind. There were no secrets on the court, but as Djokovic says, it was a ‘strange’ feeling.

Novak’s Masters 1000 Title Haul

“For me it was fresh because it’s the first time that I won this trophy and against him here. It’s a pleasure to share the court with him, with the all-time great and I truly mean that. With him, with Nadal, these guys have been such an integral, important part of my life and my career and my evolution as a tennis player.

“They make me play my best tennis. They make me improve. They made me think about what I need to do in order to try to be the best player in the world. Having not played Roger for over two years was really strange, to be honest. I thought that we haven’t played for maybe a year or something like that, but then I remembered that actually the last time was in Australia. Was quite a long time ago, which is unusual, because we got to play so many times over the decade.”

Djokovic will next head to New York for the US Open, where he enters as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. The Serbian, who had lost six of nine matches upon return from elbow surgery in March, has flipped the switch as the year has progressed. 

Now one of the hottest players on the planet, Djokovic holds a 19-2 record since the start of the grass season, including a title at Wimbledon and runner-up finish at The Queen’s Club. Even despite succumbing to Stefanos Tsitsipas last week in Toronto, he was confident that he could finally emerge victorious in Cincinnati.

“Coming in this year, obviously the Wimbledon win made things quite different for me in terms of approach to both Toronto and Cincinnati. I felt more confident on the court. I felt I just needed to get a few more matches. I haven’t played really very well in Toronto, but I felt if I got two or three matches under my belt, then things will start to work better than as they did in the past. And having that experience obviously helps to have that self-belief and the right approach.

“I’m pleased and proud and very satisfied. Just filled with great emotions. I tried for five times. I didn’t succeed. I kept on coming here and I felt, to be honest, more pressure every time that I kept coming. It’s very fulfilling. It’s hard to compare.”

Since lifting his eighth unique ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy at the 2013 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Novak Djokovic has stood one title away from becoming the first man to achieve the Career Golden Masters. For the second time since that victory in the Principality, the 31-year-old is just one win away from achieving that feat by winning the Western & Southern Open. But, as was the case in 2015, Roger Federer stands in the way.

Three years ago, Federer defeated Djokovic for the third time in Cincinnati’s championship match (also 2009, 2012) without dropping a set to claim the title. The seven-time champion will be aiming to extend his unbeaten record in Cincinnati finals by winning his 15th consecutive match at the Ohio-based event.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the Western & Southern Open & vote for who you think will win! 
Federer vs. Djokovic

Despite meeting on 45 occasions in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (Djokovic leads 23-22), the great rivals will face off for the first time in 31 months on Sunday. And that has Federer excited.

“What’s nice about this, it’s like fresh,” Federer said. “It’s not like we have played in the last few weeks and everybody knows what to expect. A lot has happened since [our last meeting] with injuries both of us have been fighting, and we both came back strong again.”

In their last meeting at the 2016 Australian Open, Djokovic defeated Federer in four sets to reach his sixth final at the opening Grand Slam of the season.And while it will present challenges for the Swiss in today’s final, he is happy to see his great rival back from an elbow injury and playing some of his best tennis like when they met 2 1/2 years ago in Melbourne. 

“When they asked me in Indian Wells and Miami to judge Novak, I was, like, It’s not real Novak. He was just coming back, and he came back too soon. Same at the Australian Open. That one wasn’t quite the 100% Novak we know he can be.

“Look what happened after the French. Everything turned. He could have won Queen’s, should have won Queen’s, maybe. Ends up winning Wimbledon and he’s back in another final. It looks like he hasn’t missed any tennis at all over the last few years.”

Both men will be keen to end their relative title droughts at Masters 1000 level. Djokovic last achieved success at the level two years ago at the Rogers Cup, while Federer’s most recent triumph came at the 2017 Rolex Shanghai Masters. Djokovic (30) and Federer (27) will also be eager to narrow the gap on all-time Masters 1000 title record holder Nadal, who won his 33rd title at the level last week in Toronto.

Bidding to win his 70th tour-level trophy, Djokovic will need to find his best level in the championship match. The five-time runner-up is yet to win a set in a Cincinnati final. Only three men have lost five or more finals at a tour-level event without winning the title, with Andy Murray and Nadal both sharing the same record at the Australian Open and Miami Open presented by Itaú, respectively.

Since his arrival at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in May, Djokovic has clinched victory in 26 of his 30 tour-level matches. But the Wimbledon champion has been pushed all the way in Cincinnati. After a straight-sets win over Steve Johnson in the first round, Djokovic has needed deciding sets in each of his four encounters against Adrian Mannarino, Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic and Marin Cilic.

Competing for the first time since his quarter-final exit to Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon, Federer has continually impressed on serve this week. The 37-year-old has held each of his 43 service games en route to the final, facing only five break points along the way.

But Federer has been significantly tested. The 98-time tour-level titlist came to within two points of defeat at 6-7(2), 6-6 (6/6) against countryman Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals before clinching victory in three sets. Four of Federer’s nine sets this week have required tie-breaks.

With title runs in his two most recent appearances in 2014 and 2015, Federer’s last loss at this event came in 2013 to eventual champion Nadal at the quarter-final stage. Federer, who began his career with a 1-4 record in Cincinnati, has lost just four of his most recent 49 matches at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Can Djokovic finally complete his set of Masters 1000 trophies or will Federer, once again, deny Djokovic in the championship match to extend his unbeaten record in Cincinnati finals?