Djokovic faces Cilic challenge as he seeks record

Sport360 staff 08:24 10/11/2014
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  • Seeking history: Novak Djokovic

    World No1 Novak Djokovic starts his campaign to become the first player in 27 years to achieve a three-peat at the season finale with a potentially dangerous match against Marin Cilic.

    The Serbian star is 10-0 in his head-to-head against the Croat world No9, but Djokovic was stretched to four sets in the round of 32 at Roland Garros and then survived despite being 2-1 down in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

    Since those last two defeats, the 26-year-old Cilic has become a grand slam winner, beating Kei Nishikori to win the US Open. He did not have a good trip to China, losing early in both Beijing and Shanghai, but is coming off a vic­tory in Moscow.

    Djokovic is on the verge of a po­tentially historic week, and his famed mental strength is sure to see him through not just Cilic, but also the Group B.

    The last man to do a three-peat was Ivan Lendl, winning three con­secutive titles from 1985-87. Djoko­vic is also vying for a third year-end No1 ranking in four years.

    The other Group B singles match, to be played earlier in the day, fea­tures Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych. The world No4 Swede leads their head-to-head 9-5, and has beaten Berdych the last four times they have met.

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