Djokovic masters Tsonga to keep perfect record in China intact
— -- The most celebrated periods in Chinese history are the nation's great dynasties. You can now add the "Djokovic Dynasty" to that exalted list.
Novak Djokovic rolled through yet another tournament final in China on Sunday in Shanghai, mastering No. 16 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-4. Djokovic did it in a hasty 1 hour, 18 minutes with alarming ease. It was the top-ranked 28-year-old Serb's third Shanghai title in four years, and it extended his record in finals in the two big Chinese ATP tournaments (Beijing is the other) to 10-0.
"Djokovic Dynasty" may not have quite the same phonetic ring as Ming Dynasty or Yuan Dynasty, and it certainly can't match those imperial houses in longevity. (The Ming Dynasty lasted 276 years.) But seven years, which is how long Djokovic has competed at those Chinese events, is a pretty long time in tennis.
Over that span, Djokovic is a combined 48-3 at Beijing (an ATP 500-grade tournament) and Shanghai. The only player he has ever lost to in China other than Roger Federer is the now-retired Nikolay Davydenko (Shanghai semis, 2009).
Fans and pundits often wonder why successful, conspicuously talented guys like Tsonga or Tomas Berdych or even David Ferrer don't punch through and win Grand Slam titles. They're often accused of being too "soft," a euphemism for lacking mental strength or determination. But this tournament demonstrated why that judgment isn't quite fair.
Tsonga came into the final with a hot hand, having done all anyone could ask. He had knocked out two dangerous players, No. 12 seed Kevin Anderson and a rejuvenated Rafael Nadal, who was seeded eighth. Tsonga demonstrated he had both the game and grit in both of those battles, going deep in three sets to win each.
But once again, beating a dangerous seed or two -- plus at least two of the Big Four -- proved to be just too big a task. Only one player has had a game big enough to pull that off this season: two-time Grand Slam champ Stan Wawrinka.
Still, Tsonga went into the final with realistic hopes. Although Djokovic led the head-to-head 14-5, Tsonga had ambushed him the last time they played, at the Canadian Open in 2014. But in the 14 months since then, Djokovic has been virtually flawless.
He was close to perfect again on Sunday. Tsonga's greatest weapon is that mighty serve, but Djokovic broke it in the first and third games of the match. From that point on, Tsonga wasn't playing to win -- he was struggling to avoid outright humiliation.
Looking at it from that perspective, Tsonga did a good job.
For Djokovic, it was business as usual. Although serving proficiency was a more critical component of Tsonga's game plan, Djokovic was significantly better in that department. (He put 71 percent of his first serves into play compared to 64 by Tsonga.) As a result, he showed Tsonga just one break point, while Djokovic accumulated 13, converting four.
Djokovic extended his winning streak to 17 matches and his consecutive sets streak to 22. The Shanghai title is his ninth of the year. The performance opened the door on the most tantalizing storyline emerging for the final month of the season: Can Djokovic possibly eclipse the "career year" he had in 2011, a year that iconic champion Pete Sampras once described as the greatest 12-month performance he ever witnessed in the game?
That year, Djokovic finished 70-6 with 10 titles. He's 68-5 with nine titles this year. He has one Masters event and the ATP World Tour Championships left on his schedule.
Like all imperial dynasties, Djokovic's won't be content to remain limited by geography.
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