World number one Novak Djokovic will be looking to end the year on a high at the ATP World Tour Finals in London where he is bidding for his fifth consecutive win at the season-ending championship.
Djokovic first won the ATP World Tour Finals in 2008 when he beat Nikolay Davydenko in the final in Shanghai. His opening success in London came in 2012 where he got the better of Roger Federer over straight sets before A 2-0 victory followed in 2013 against Rafael Nadal. He received a walkover in the 2014 final when Federer had to pull out due to a back injury, while 12 months ago Federer was once again beaten by the Serbian in the final.
The bookmakers make Djokovic odds-on at 4-5 in the tennis betting markets to continue his fine record in London and this competition. He currently tops the Race to London standings with the most points ahead of Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, respectively, therefore he is set to pick up the number one seed ahead of the draw for the 2016 tournament.
Djokovic has had a mixed year by his high standards. He started the campaign with his sixth victory in the Australian Open when he beat Murray in straight sets 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).
The world number one then completed the Career Grand Slam in Paris in the 2016 French Open. Prior to the tournament at Roland Garros, Djokovic had never won the only clay court Grand Slam. He had been beaten in the final three times but he finally went one better, beating Murray once again in a final 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. That success in the French Open meant the Serbian was also carrying all four Grand Slam trophies at the same time as he finished 2015 with wins at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Unfortunately for Djokovic, he was unable to defend his Wimbledon title earlier this year. The holder suffered a surprise defeat in the third round to American Sam Querrey. That was Djokovic’s earliest exit at a Grand Slam since he went out in the same round at the 2009 French Open.
The world number one made it safely through to the final of the 2016 US Open at Flushing Meadows where once again he was defending one of his Grand Slam titles. After going 1-0 up in that game against Wawrinka courtesy of a tie breaker, he looked on course for Grand Slam number 13, however, his Swiss opponent raised his game to deny the number one seed the trophy in New York.
A victory in London to go with his two Grand Slam titles will no doubt be seen as a successful year for Djokovic. The Serbian has been very selective over which tournaments he has played in 2016 to ensure he stays as fresh as possible at the back end of the year. The same can’t be said about Murray and Wawrinka who have both had brutal schedules in 2016 which means Djokovic goes into London as the man to beat once again.