Sunday, August 12, 2007

Novak Djokovic Defeats Roger Federer

Novak Djokovic called his Rogers Cup semifinal victory over Rafael Nadal one of the biggest victories of his career.

It turns out he was only getting warmed up.

Djokovic upset world No. 1 Roger Federer 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (2) Sunday to win the $2.45 million Masters Series event, solidifying himself as a serious contender to win the U.S. Open beginning later this month in New York.

"It's a dream come true to win such a strong tournament as this and to win against probably the best player ever in the sport," Djokovic said.

It was third-seeded Djokovic's fourth tournament win this year and his first win in five career matches against Federer, whose 16-match Rogers Cup winning streak ended. The Swiss star won the tournament in 2004 and 2006, and sat out in 2005 with a foot injury.

With wins over Andy Roddick and No. 2 Nadal in his previous rounds, Djokovic also became the first player to beat the world's top three players in the same tournament since Boris Becker defeated No. 3 Michael Stich, No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic in succession in 1994 in Stockholm.(keep reading)

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