The 2018 edition of Western&Southern Open in Cincinnati saw its winner last night. Novak Djokovic outplayed Roger Federer to capture the only Masters 1000 missing from an already impressive showcase. According to ESPN, Novak Djokovic has become the first player in history to hold a Golden Master (winning all nine Masters 1000 events at least once).
Both Tennis superstars came to this match bearing high hopes but in the end, the strongest prevailed. Facing each other for the first time since the 2016 Australian Open, Djokovic and Federer delivered yet another tennis classic.
For Roger Federer, it was the second Masters 1000 final of the season while Djokovic was stepping into the first Masters 1000 final since Rome 2017.
Roger Federer had no proper answer for Djokovic
Meeting for the 46th time at an ATP level match brought back some painful memories for Roger Federer. All of the sudden, it must have all felt like 2014 or 2015 again as the Swiss player had no valid answer to a perfectly displayed game of tennis from Djokovic's racket head.
Both sets had their key moment in the seventh game when Roger Federer was broken. Although there were some fluctuations in Djokovic's first serve, all in all, the Serb looked just like in the good old days of past years.
A defensive wall is the easiest way to describe Djokovic; an obstacle Federer had to answer against.
Moreover, Djokovic's trademark two-handed backhand was again relevant in the Serb's strategy.
At the other end, Roger Federer had many issues that hampered all of his efforts in his attempt to conquer the Serbian wall. His forehand was nowhere to be found while the unforced errors kept on piling up. The backhand was also below his average and, on top of that, he failed to put pressure when needed, especially on Djokovic's second serve.
According to an interview posted on the ATP official website, Novak Djokovic described winning in Cincinnati as ''one of the most special moments of my career.'' Below you can watch a short post-match interview with the Serb player.
What remains after Djokovic's statement in Cincinnati
Becoming the first player in tennis history to hold a Golden Master, Novak Djokovic released a statement saying that his bid for greatness is far from over.
It's extraordinary how things turned around for the 31-year-old. The first part of the season was sad to watch as Djokovic was barely playing any interesting tennis.
Winning his 13th Grand Slam at Wimbledon may have triggered another bid for dominance. As the ranking was updated with Cincinnati results, Novak Djokovic has moved to world No. 6.
Regarding Roger Federer, the Swiss star is starting to show his age. At 37, his tennis output is still impressive but he needs more consistency if he wants to aim for the big spoils in the near future.
