The forecasts were fulfilled. The top seed in the tournament and top favorite to win the title did so. After an intense week of tennis in Tel-Aviv, one of the great threats for the title has not been able to finish the match, and has given in to Novak Djokovic. He arrived with the favorite vitola and has been able to demonstrate the reason for this. His tennis has not been diminished by the pressure that this entails, but has flowed freely, astonishing the spectators with his power and level of success, after some doubts that came in the Laver Cup when he succumbed to Felix Auger- Aliassime.
After beating Pablo Andújar, Vasek Pospisil and Roman Safiullin, Djokovic was presented with a tough litmus test in the final. Marin Cilic, number 16 in the world, who has shown tremendous potential throughout the week. But in tennis, when on the other side of the court you have a winner of 21 Grand Slams, the situation changes a lot. The Croatian came out very alive with his legs and trying to dominate with his service. Still, he racked up bugs that weren’t seen during the week, but that can be considered normal considering the stakes. Djokovic had that look that everyone knows, the one that in a seen and not seen manages to hit three good shots and get a break and completely change the game. In just a few minutes the Serbian was already up with a break and with a score favorable to his interests.
Cilic was unable to convert his good feelings from the start into a solid lead on the scoreboard, and fell apart. Djokovic was growing on the court, playing more focused and connecting incisive shots both from the bottom of the court and in the net. Little by little the Croatian was the one who ran after the ball. Upon winning the first set 6-3 and with some doubts when it came to closing the set, Djokovic slammed his fist on the table and took the first step.
Third title of the season for Djokovic
Marin Cilic saw how all her initial effort had been wasted. He did not know how to channel the disappointment that this entailed, and he began to make mistakes out of haste. Little by little, the scoreboard was heading inexorably towards the victory of the former number one in the world, which ended up being confirmed with a 6-4 in the second set that leaves no doubt about the superiority of the Balkan legend. This is Nole’s third title in 2022, after those achieved at the Masters 1000 in Rome and at Wimbledon.
