MIAMI, April 3, 2016
Novak Djokovic captured his 28th ATP Masters 1000 career crown, winning Sunday’s final of the Miami Open presented by Itaú against Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3 to complete the sunshine double.
In a match without any aces, Djokovic was the dominant player on court, winning 79% of his first service points. The world number one from Serbia earned the fifth and decisive break in the eighth game of the opening set when Nishikori played a scrappy service game with several unforced errors. Djokovic served out in the following to take the first frame.
Nishikori was far away from his best performance and had the worst possible start into the second set, losing his serve right in the first game. Djokovic defended his lead until the end, closing the match out after one hour and 26 minutes.
Djokovic’s ATP Masters 1000 title collection after Miami, presented in a special way:
Novak Djokovic Masters, updated for his Miami win:
🌴 ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
🐬 ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️️️✔️
🎲 ✔️✔️
🐂 ✔️
🍝 ✔️✔️✔️✔️
🍁 ✔️✔️✔️
🎢 …
🍜 ✔️✔️️️✔️
🎪 ✔️✔️✔️✔️— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) 3. April 2016
“I want to thank everybody participating in this event. It’s one of the best tournaments we have in our sport. Very faithful sponsors and volunteers; everyone is contributing as much as they can,” Djokovic told during his on court speech.
“I have a very special connection to this tournament, and it’s been a springboard for everything, so I always love coming back here.
“I hope the love affair continues, and I want to thank my team. I want to thank all you guys for making this tournament extra special: you’re wonderful fans, and I don’t know how much you follow the stories, but I assure you it’s going to stay here for a long time. See you next year!”
Nishikori had to admit Djokovic’s decent performance during this week. The 28-year-old from Serbia didn’t drop a set en route to clinch the title.
“Well played to Novak. I hope I can get you next time,” Nishikori said.
“A tough match as always; playing Djokovic is always a great challenge for me, and I always love to come back to Miami. Thanks for my team, and I hope I can win a Masters championship next time.”
