Djokovic wins battle of HEAD racquet rebels

Top seed Novak Djokovic won a battle of HEAD racquet rebels as he beat Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2 to claim the Rogers Cup at Toronto, his 12th title at ATP Masters 1000 level. It took 61 minutes for the ATP No. 2 to dominate with his YouTek IG Speed MP over his rival, who was claiming a spot in the final with his brand new YouTek Extreme Pro 2.0. The Serb, who won the Australian Open to start the 2012 season, now owns 31 titles overall.

"This match was exceptional today, it's been a long week, a tough week, especially for players coming from the Olympics," said Djokovic. "But I'm glad I came here. I knew it would be almost impossible to repeat my 2011 season (70-11 record), but I know that I'm playing well. I trust in my abilities and in my game. There will always be ups and downs but I'm playing with confidence right now."

Djokovic overcame two days of rain interruptions and his jet-lag as he advanced to lift the trophy, his seventh win in eight meetings with Gasquet. It was his third honour in Canada following Montreal victories in 2007 and 2011. The racquet rebel won 50 of his 51 service games during the week!

"We had some delicate situations this week with the weather," said Djokovic. "But I'm very glad to have won. Richard is one of our best talents and deserves to be in the top 10."

Djokovic will move onto the Cincinnati Masters, where he reached the 2011 final against HEAD player Andy Murray, but had to quit injured in the second set. He went on to win the US Open a few weeks later.

Gasquet was playing in his third Masters final. "It was a tough match, and against a guy like Djokovic you have no chance if you are not playing your best. But I'm getting back to the top 25 and my goal is to return to the top 20 very soon.”