Unstoppable Djokovic bags Rogers Cup

MONTREAL - Top-ranked Novak Djokovic beat Mardy Fish 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup on Sunday for his ninth tournament title of the year and record fifth in a season in an ATP Masters event.

Djokovic, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, is now 29-0 this year on hard courts and 53-1 overall. He also won the Rogers Cup in 2007.

“I am human, I can definitely assure you of that,” the 24-year-old Serb said. “I guess it's just all about having a positive attitude on the court every day, waking up every day wanting to improve, wanting to win, being determined, being professional. It's that desire and motivation that keeps me going.”

The sixth-seeded Fish was the only player to win a set against Djokovic this week.

Fish has lost all seven career meetings with Djokovic, but gave the top seed a battle with his mixture of baseline and attacking play.

“I put myself in a lot of positions to have chances,” Fish said. “I just didn’t execute on the big points. There's a reason why [Djokovic] has won so many matches this year. He’s got to be leading the tour in break points saved, I’m sure, among other things. Those are huge.”

Djokovic, who played night matches this week, looked uncomfortable from the outset in the afternoon and needed to save six break points to get through the opening set.

He saved his eighth of the match before Fish finally broke him with a perfect forehand down the line to take a 3-2 lead in the second set. Djokovic looked lost as he was broken again to close out the set.

But Djokovic was near-perfect on his service in the final set, although he needed four break points, one of which he challenged a and lost, before finally putting away Fish.

“It was a close match, for sure,” Djokovic said.

“A couple of points, one good return game in the third set, decided the winner. But it’s a final. I knew that he is not going to give me the match and the win. I knew that I have to fight for it.”

AP