SHANGHAI: Novak Djokovic cruised through his first match of the Shanghai Masters Cup yesterday, swatting away Juan Martin Potro in straight sets to teach the young debutant an important lesson about how experience counts.
The charismatic Serb showed his sophistication and justified his credentials as world No 3 by taming the 20-year-old Argentine 7-5, 6-3 in under two hours at the season-ending tournament.
"I think I used maybe a little bit of my experience. I was waiting for my opportunities and I knew that I would have them sooner or later," said the 21-year-old who has already racked up three titles this year including a key win at the Australian Open.
Djokovic may well have sympathized with his opponent on his high-profile debut as the Serb also presented himself to the world media on this stage last year in the face of extreme scrutiny and sweat-inducing expectations.
He then lost all of his matches and was eliminated from the group stage - an embarrassing and unscripted development he said helped him defeat the new rookie yesterday.
"Even though I didn't win a single match last year I gained that experience in the Masters Cup which Del Potro does not have," he said.
Yesterday's action got off to a typically adversarial start.
Both players were fast and aggressive from the baseline as the ball ricocheted all over the court, but Djokovic took the lead with 27 winners and eight aces against Del Potro's 13 and two.
"I had some stretches in important moments when I got the ball back and had some good passing shots," Djokovic said. "He made some unforced errors in the important moments, so I used my opportunities wisely."
Del Potro said he learned the hard way that big players don't give you many second chances.
"When you play against Nadal, Federer or Djokovic, you have just one chance or two times to get it. If you are not focused you lose.
"I need to be relaxed and just enjoy this moment."
In other group action, Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko spoiled the debut of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a seesawing game that ended 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (0).
"The key was staying consistent throughout the match and concentrating from start to finish," Davydenko said. "Once you start to get nervous, you can get worn out.
"That's why I think Tsonga, in the tiebreak, was already a completely different guy."
The towering Frenchman said he had been out-muscled before he even stepped onto the court, regardless of experience.
"He was just better than me at the end of the match physically."
Source: China Daily
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