Thursday 17 November 2016 20:19, UK
Novak Djokovic maintained his 100 per cent record at this year’s ATP World Tour Finals by beating David Goffin in his final match of the group stage.
Having already dispatched Dominic Thiem and Milos Raonic, Djokovic made it three wins from three with a 6-1 6-2 triumph over the world No 11, who was playing as a replacement for the injured Gael Monfils.
The result means Djokovic remains on course to regain the world No 1 ranking from Andy Murray - he needs to win all five matches this week to do so - and has now won 21 of his last 22 outings at the season-ending championships.
Shot of the match
It didn't have a bearing on the result, but Goffin's deft lob in the fifth game of the first set was pure class.
Djokovic's reaction
"I felt the most comfortable today from all the three matches I have played. I felt I increased the level and quality of tennis, so that's a good sign. It's not easy for him to come out. He came here and practiced for the last couple of days, he didn't play his best tennis, but I wish him all the best and he is a great player."
Expert analysis
Greg Rusedski: "Goffin really doesn't have anything to hurt Djokovic; that's the problem. Djokovic does everything that much better than Goffin, so this was perfect. One hour and 10 minutes on court, tops the group, 3-0, and an extra 200 points, so what more do you want? It has been a perfect group for Novak Djokovic and he is coming into form at the right time. It will be very interesting to see how he plays in the semis."
Leif Shiras: "Novak was able to outmaneuver his man, who didn't really have enough in him today to figure out a response. You have to problem-solve against Novak constantly. When Djokovic plays with that kind of pace, the conviction, the accuracy, all those good things, he becomes a very difficult out."
The match
Goffin made a hesitant start and although he held his first service game, he was broken in his second largely due to a pair of double faults.
Djokovic was then penalised for a time violation and briefly argued with the umpire, but he did not let it affect his focus and broke Goffin for the second time on the way to winning the first set in 35 minutes.
Djokovic also made a flying start to the second set by breaking a below-par Goffin in the third game, and although he didn't manage to break the Belgian again, he still completed a routine win to the loss of just three games.
Watch every day of the ATP World Tour Finals, from November 13-20, live on Sky Sports. Full schedule here.
