Novak Djokovic labelled the moment that won him his fourth Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi as "one of the best match points I have ever had".
The world No 1 won a stirring clash at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City against Kevin Anderson 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
The final point was a thriller, with a long rally having both players on offence and then defence around the court as each man pushed and probed to find a winner.
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But it was Djokovic who finally won it, on his fifth match point, as his cross-court forehand from the right corner of the baseline flew past a despairing Anderson.
The rally involved 30 shots and lasted 45 seconds. Djokovic roared in delight and punched the air with both fists and he said he had loved the intensity of the event's denouement.
"It was one of the best match points I have ever had to be honest and it was good to end a thrilling match that way," he said.
Djokovic said that the high level of Anderson, the defending champion, had helped him raise his game to produce one of the best matches in the tournament's 11-edition history.
"I am happy to have a match like this," the Serb added. "Kevin was pumped from the start of the match. He got me fired up as well because I saw how focused he is.
"It was a very close match. I wanted to win as much as he did and you could see that and feel the tension on the court. A positive one, two great competitors fighting and performing some great quality tennis."
The victory capped a successful six months for the 31 year old, who has moved back to No 1 in the ATP rankings, having been down at No 22 in June, with his wins at Wimbledon and the US Open taking his tally to 14 grand slams.
Djokovic had previously won the MWTC three times in a row, between 2011 and 2013, and he now shares the record for most trophies with Rafael Nadal on four.
Djokovic added of his MWTC victory: "Matches like this, regardless of whether it is a practice match or its part of a tournament where you don't have points, or its a grand slam, you play someone on such a high level you want to end up winning because it serves your confidence and just adds up to optimism and mental strength."
Race card
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; 5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; 6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m
England v South Africa schedule:
- First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
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Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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