WORLD number two Novak Djokovic has led Serbia to the inaugural ATP Cup, overcoming the heartbreak of a narrow Davis Cup elimination in November to lift the title against Spain last night. Djokovic showed his ability to stand up in clutch moments, not only winning his singles in straight sets against world number one Rafael Nadal, but also joining Viktor Troicki in the doubles to seal the 2-1 result.

Spain was coming off a title in Madrid at the new-look Davis Cup, but with Djokovic’s record on the Australian hard courts, it looked likely the Serbians would be favourites. Top 10 player, Roberto Bautista Agut started the night right for the Spanish, winning 7-5 6-1 over Dusan Lajovic as expected. Bautisa Agut has been in strong form over the tournament and is the best second player of any nation, also downing Nick Kyrgios – who was undefeated to that point – in straight sets. Bautista Agut is one of the more solid all-rounders on the tour and it showed, producing 75 per cent of his first serves in and winning two thirds of those, ahead in both areas compared to his Serbian opponent. He was able to break Lajovic five times from 10 opportunities, while his opponent converted just the two from five. The first set was tight throughout, but when he needed to stand up, Bautista Agut did just that, winning 6-1 in the second set to hand Spain the early advantage.

All eyes turned to the match of the night, and one that had been hoped for since before the tournament. The world’s top two ATP players in Nadal and Djokovic met for the 55th time with Djokovic heading into the match with a narrow advantage – 28-26 – though the last time Nadal beat Djokovic on hard court was the 2013 US Open final. The result would go that way once again, with Djokovic winning 6-2 7-6 in just under two hours, but the second set was a joy to behold. Nadal time and time again forced his way into break point opportunities, but the Serbian star answered the challenge each and every time. Djokovic saved all five chances while converting two from a possible eight – both in the first set. The ultimate difference was Djokovic’s ability to return serve, firing off some tantalising backhand shots and showed why he is deserving of favouritism in the upcoming Australian Open. He won a massive 68 per cent off Nadal’s second serve, and even his 24 per cent winning ratio of Nadal’s first serve is worthy of note. Showing a dogged ability to fight through everything the Spaniard threw at him, Djokovic levelled the score at 1-1 in the overall tie with a 7-4 second set tiebreak win.

While many expected the pair to face off in the doubles, Nadal’s heavy schedule saw Spain opt for the regular doubles combination of Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez to try and give them some fresh legs with Troicki joining Djokovic on court. The play did not end up working for the Spaniard’s as Serbia claimed a 6-3 6-4 victory in an hour and 15 minutes to secure the tie. Once again, it was Djokovic who led the way by standing up in crucial moments and the Serbians won 82 per cent of their second serve points, only being broken once as they broke through three times. While Carreno Busta and Lopez were consistent on serve, they were not able to penetrate past the unbelievable talent that is Djokovic and his partner-in-crime who knew his game so well in Troicki. When they finally claimed the victory, it was elation for the nation, making up for the heartbreaking defeat in the Davis Cup.