The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsNovak Djokovic has made the perfect start to his 2016 season and preparations for the Australian Open, as the world number one clinched his first Qatar Open title with a 6-1 6-2 thrashing of long time rival Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard simply had no answer to his opponent’s imperious form and suffered a sobering experience, as Djokovic produced a breathtaking display to thoroughly dominate the contest and eventually clinch the trophy in Doha.
In the opening set, both players began trading blows from the baseline and Djokovic was forced to save a break point before holding the first service game of the match. This appeared to settle the world number one, and his incredible depth on his groundstrokes allowed him to control the rallies and was quickly rewarded when he broke the Spaniard comfortably to race to a 3-0 lead. Nadal simply had no answer to the sheer brilliance from his opponent and consecutive winners from the Serbian established the double break, as he continued to attack the world number five at will with a series of blistering and accurate winners. Djokovic was in devastating form as he maintained his advantage, and a convincing set of tennis was emphatically sealed with an ace.
As the second set unfolded, Nadal was under early pressure once again as Djokovic held more break points. Even though the Spaniard dug deep, he was eventually unable to hold off the Serbian’s relentless tennis, and Djokovic seized yet another break when Nadal just placed a forehand wide. The world number one was simply unstoppable as he took his opponent apart with remarkable ease, breaking Nadal once again with more brutal hitting. The Spaniard found himself constantly defending and repelling the offensive onslaught that Djokovic was throwing at him, but he did well to force the Serbian to serve for the match. However, the world number one was in unforgiving mood, and he easily wrapped up an overwhelming victory to underline his dominance as the world’s best player and overtake Nadal in their overall head to head record.
