Novak Djokovic was pleased to record a confidence-boosting win over Kevin Anderson in the final of the World Tennis Championship ahead of the new ATP Tour season.
The world number one prevailed 4-6 7-5 7-5 after a hard-fought encounter in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, with the victory seeing him secure the title for a fourth time in his career.
While ranking points were not up for grabs in the exhibition event, Djokovic felt the high standard of play was ideal preparation for the start of 2019, with the Serbian heading to Doha for the Qatar Open next week.
"I take a lot of positives from this match, Anderson is one of the best players in the world and has been playing with a high level of consistency," Djokovic said in his post-match interview.
"When you play someone like this at this level you want to win. It helps your confidence and adds to your mental strength.
"[I'm] definitely pleased to win today and looking forward to the season."
Looking to win the tournament for a second successive year, defending champion Anderson claimed the opening set thanks to a break of serve in the ninth game.
However, Djokovic demonstrated his competitive spirit to rally, eventually clinching victory on his fifth match point with a superb forehand winner after two hours and 14 minutes on court.
"Anderson was pumped from the beginning and he got me fired up as well. He wanted to win as much as I did. I could feel the tension between us, two great competitors," he said.
"I think it was the best match point I’ve ever played!”
Comments
SHARE