ATP London World Tour Finals Profile: Novak Djokovic

London , England – Novak Djokovic is enjoying a ten-match winning streak ahead of the Barclay’s ATP World Tour that saw him pick-up two back-to-back titles in Basel and Paris. It has everyone calling him the best player in the world right now.

I don’t know that I would go to such lengths on the strength of two weeks. Fact is, although Djokovic is enjoying a third successive strong season in the top five and has been consistent for the most part, he has fallen short of the mark on the major stage; until he won the Paris Masters, that is.

Novak Djokovic got off to a slow start. He crashed in his first match of the season, losing to Ernests Gulbis in the first round of Brisbane. He flopped against Jarkko Nieminen in Sydney the week after, losing to the veteran Fin in the semis. At the Aussie Open, he retired from his quarterfinal match against Roddick down two sets to one – an event in which he was the defending champion no less.

That was just the first month of the season. Subsequent months saw Djokovic frustrated by his peers in the semis and finals of Masters events – while a loss to Murray and Nadal is not discreditable it showed at the time what his measure was against the best.

Djokovic’s struggles where attributed to a sudden racquet change at the start of the season when he switched from Wilson to Head. They were also perhaps mental as well. There was, and still is, a lot of expectation on his Serbian shoulders. Nevertheless, despite his trials and tribulations, Djokovic has carved another consistent season.

Road to London:
BetUS Futures odds for Davydenko listed at +750

Season win/loss: 76-18
Since US Open win/loss: 18-1
Titles: Dubai, Belgrade, Beijing, Basel and Paris
Finalist: Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome
Grand Slam highlights: Aussie Open quarters; French Open R32, Wimbledon semis; US Open semis
Top ten scalps: Gilles Simon (Dubai semis, Cincinnati quarters); Roger Federer (Miami semis, Rome semis, Basel Final); Fernando Verdasco (Monte Carlo quarters, US Open quarters, Beijing quarters ), Juan Martin Del Potro (Rome quarters), Rafael Nadal (Cincinnati semis, Paris semis)

Verdasco Head-to Headswith other World Tour Finals contenders:

vs. Roger Federer: 5-9

vs. Rafael Nadal: 6-14

vs. Andy Murray: 4-3

vs. Juan Martin Del Potro: 3-0

vs. Nikolay Davydenko: 2-2

vs. Fernando Verdasco: 5-2

vs. Robin Soderling: 5-0

Betting Verdict: Djokovic owns an all-time winning record against half of the London field, two of which are convincing. He owns Soderling and Del Potro, having never lost to either. He also has a comfortable record against Verdasco. He however trails life time against Federer and Nadal, the latter rather significantly so. Against Murray he has the slimmest of edges and against Davydenko he is level.

Yet, Djokovic enters this tournament as the massive favourite. Not only is he the defending champion but he is riding a wave of momentum that most feel he is the player to beat.