Djokovic beats Federer, still reigns supreme

Reuters: The world’s top three players all scaled dizzy heights in 2012 but Novak Djokovic ended the year staring down at his rivals after grinding down Roger Federer to win the ATP World Tour Finals title in brutal fashion at London’s O2 Arena on Monday.

The 25-year-old shed sweat and blood before dethroning Federer 7-6 7-5 in a showdown that provided a memorable climax to an incredible men’s season.

Since winning a fifth grand slam title at the Australian Open in a near six-hour epic against Rafa Nadal back in January, Djokovic’s reign has come under attack from both Federer and Britain’s Andy Murray, but after beating both in London he is clearly still the dominant force going into 2013.

World number two Federer has been all but unbeatable in the tournament since it switched to London in 2009 and was seeking a hat-trick of titles at the eye-catching Thames-side dome.

With the majority of the 17,000 crowd cheering for the Swiss maestro he forged healthy leads in both sets with some typical brilliance but was eventually stopped in his tracks by the Serb.

Djokovic, who had lost his last two meetings with the 17-times grand slam champion and trailed 16-12 in career meetings dating back to 2006, found himself 3-0 down after eight minutes and then faced a 5-3 deficit in the second.