Serbia is the first-ever winner of the ATP Cup, after beating Spain in today’s finals, 2-1. The contest had to be decided after doubles, in which Serbs beat Spanish colleagues, 2-0.
Nadal Helpless Against Novak
The main match, of course, was the one between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The Serb won this one, beating his rival with 2-0, 6-2, 7-6.
It was a game in which Djokovic took the first set without any troubles, sweeping the world No.1, and not allowing him to have the slightest chances of being competitive. Nadal had problems in all aspects of the game, especially on his own serve, where Djokovic’s return worked perfectly.
After an easy first set, things were a bit different in the second one, with Rafa taking his game to a higher level. But even with this improvement, he couldn’t get an edge over the Serbian.
The Spanish player had five break-point chances midway through the period and wasn’t able to convert at least one. After that, Djokovic had two of them as well, and he too couldn’t use either, and the set went into a tie-break.
Nadal had the first minibreak, Djokovic responded quickly, and very soon took another point on Rafa’s serve. He would keep the advantage and close the contest on his serve, leveling the score in the ATP Finals to 1-1.
Bautista-Agut Defeated Lajovic
In the opening match of the day, Roberto Bautista-Agut defeated Dusan Lajovic, with 2-0 7-5, 6-1. After a tough first set in which the fans had a chance to see good and interesting tennis, the Spaniard simply shifted into a higher gear to leave Lajovic in the dust.
That second sequence was a pure delight for the Spanish fans, who were in the minority at the Ken Rosewall Arena. When talking about the atmosphere, we need to say that the ratio on the stands was 3-1 in favor of the Serbs, who were feeling almost as if they played in Belgrade.
It is something that might have affected them to be more energetic in the doubles and to overcome the adversities they encountered at the start of the same. All in all, this Serbian side will be remembered as the first to lift this prestigious trophy.