By Chris Oddo | Sunday March 20, 2016
Novak Djokovic has a habit of making even the staunchest challengers look like lightweights. The world No. 1 did that again on Sunday, deconstructing the high-octane game of Milos Raonic in a jaw-dropping display that leaves him as this tournament’s all-time title leader.
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Djokovic’s 6-2, 6-0 shellacking of the rising Canadian pushes his Indian Wells title count to five. It is yet another bold statement from the Serb that there’s nobody in the game that is at his level, no matter the surface, the venue or the format.
"To win this tournament five times is a fantastic achievement for my team and I,” A satisfied Djokovic said after the final. “We don't take anything for granted.”
En route to improving his record to 21-1 on the season, Djokovic won a jaw-dropping 27 of 30 second-serve points, converted five of eleven break points and did not face a break point on serve over the course of his 77-minute clinic on how to defuse one of the most lethal players in the sport.
Djokovic, who had to work his way into top form here in the desert after dropping a set to American qualifier and world No. 149 Bjorn Fratangelo a week ago, made all the necessary adjustments and peaked at the right time to claim his third consecutive BNP Paribas Open title.
“I'm just glad to be able to raise the level of my game as the tournament progresses, and that's something that I have been doing in the last two years particularly on the big events,” Djokovic said. “I have been managing to win most of the big matches against top 10 players.”
Djokovic has now won ten straight versus the Top-10 and is 39-5 against them since the beginning of 2015.
Raonic, who was playing his first ATP event since suffering an adductor injury at the Australian Open, entered the final having won ten of eleven sets, but appeared to be hampered by a similarly debilitating injury early in the match. He took an off-court medical timeout after dropping the first set, but his struggles continued in the second set.
Raonic said he felt the injury after the first few games, and added that he wasn’t sure if he had suffered the same injury or something different. “I have to do the right investigation. Just sort of see what it is and then I can judge it from there," he said.
The Canadian, who dropped to 0-6 against Djokovic lifetime, refused to say that the injury was a factor in the lopsided nature of the match. “I don't think it affected my effort,” he said. “I thought he played much better than I did. I struggled again, just like last time, to start the match well, and then he's the best player in the world at this moment and a good step ahead of everybody.”
Djokovic was keyed in from the start. He rolled out to 4-0 lead before Raonic managed to eke out a few service holds to make the opener respectable. But as the second set opened, the onslaught continued.
Djokovic finished with just four unforced errors on the afternoon, against 15 winners. He has now dropped just one set in the 16 that he has contested against Raonic.
Notes, Numbers, Quotes
Djokovic ties Rafael Nadal for the all-time lead in Masters 1000 titles with 27. After the final, during his post-match presentation, the Serb said that he backs a recent movement to elevate Indian Wells to a class above the other Masters 1000 events… Djokovic will bid for his fourth Indian Wells-Miami double over the next two weeks at the Miami Open. No other player has won more than two.