Novak Djokovic has delivered some dominant performances over the years, but his victory in the 2014 China Open final may be at the top of the list.
In the championship match of the ATP 500 event that year, Djokovic took on former world number four Tomas Berdych.
Prior to the bout, the Serb had endured some tough battles with Berdych, who was always a difficult assignment during the ‘big three’ era.
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Djokovic had lost to the Croatian twice before, falling to him in the 2010 Wimbledon semifinals, as well as the 2013 Italian Open quarterfinals.
This time around, however, in Beijing, the eventual 24-time major champion produced a performance that left Berdych shocked.
Tomas Berdych’s reaction to getting dominated by Novak Djokovic
In a final that lasted just one hour and six minutes, Djokovic cruised past Berdych in straight sets, winning 6-0, 6-2.
After being bagelled in the first set, Berydch then found himself 5-0 down in the second, and jokingly offered his racket to a ballboy.
Berdych avoided the humiliation of a double bagel by saving a match point at 5-0, and managed to win two consecutive games to bring it to 5-2.
The attempt at a comeback did not last long, though, as Djokovic quickly wrapped up the contest to claim a fifth China Open title.
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Asked in his post-match press conference if that was the best anyone had ever played against him, Berdych gave a candid response.
He said: “Well, actually, I just said to my coach now that I probably played maybe over, what, 600 matches in my career, and I met guys like Andre [Agassi], Roger [Federer], all those probably in their best times.”
Berdych then added: “But I have never, ever experienced anything like that.”
Novak Djokovic’s response to Tomas Berydch’s comments
Responding to Berydch’s comments, Djokovic said in his press conference: “It’s definitely flattering to hear something like that coming out from a player who has been around for so many years, an established top‑10 player.
“As I said on the court, this has been, under the circumstances, probably the best performance in all finals in my career I played.
“It was incredible. Incredible. Especially against Tomas, who has a big game and, as I said, is already an experienced player.
“It was 6‑Love, 5‑Love, under an hour. Everything I tried worked. To be proud of the performance is the least I can say of what I played tonight.”
The head-to-head between Berdych and Djokovic finished 25-3 in favour of the latter.
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