Djokovic recovers from match-point down to win

WORLD No 1 Novak Djokovic opened his ATP World Tour Finals campaign with a win last night, but he was made to work for his 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) triumph over Tomas Berdych.

Djokovic found himself a set down after his Czech opponent started the match brightly but the Serbian, who came into the tournament struggling with a shoulder injury, won the next two sets, coming out on top in the deciding tie-breaker to win in two hours and 38 minutes.

“Throughout most of the match he was the better player, I was just hanging in there and I managed to get the win,” said Djokovic.

“You have to be top of your game in order to win the matches in this event – I wasn’t on top of my game tonight, but I managed to take my chances.”

Djokovic – winner of three of the year’s four majors – managed to withstand some spectacular hitting by the seventh-seeded Berdych, who had a match point at 6-5 in the decider but put a forehand into the net.

The Czech, whose only previous victory against Djokovic came at Wimbledon last year, was left kicking himself at that missed opportunity and then fell apart in the tie-break, gifting Djokovic several cheap points with rash errors.

The outcome, though, was a relief for the world No 1, who took his 2011 record to an impressive 70-4.

The Group A result was not good news for Andy Murray, who lost to David Ferrer earlier in the day. The Scot already had to beat Berdych and Djokovic, now that might not be enough because Berdych-Djokovic went three sets and he was defeated by Ferrer in two.