Novak Djokovic's third Miami Masters title on Sunday has the world number one looking ahead -- to the clay court season and beyond. Djokovic feels the successful title defence is a boost heading into the Monte Carlo Masters.
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Novak Djokovic's third Miami Masters title on Sunday had the world number one looking back fondly on his Florida triumphs, but more importantly looking ahead -- to the clay court season and beyond.
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"Any title is big, and it means a lot," Djokovic said after beating Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) in the final at Key Biscayne. "Such a big tournament that is considered one of the biggest in our sport.
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Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the match point against Andy Murray in the Miami Masters final. Pic/AFP
"I won three times here. I think that says enough about how I feel playing in Miami."
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Djokovic, who won his first Miami title in 2007 and beat Rafael Nadal in the final last year, said the successful title defence was a boost heading into the Monte Carlo Masters.
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He didn't drop a set in Miami, closing out his quarter-final, semi-final and final opponents with second-set tiebreakers to preserve that record.
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"This is going to be very encouraging for me prior to the clay court season," said Djokovic.
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If he can claim clay's biggest prize, the French Open, he would hold all for major titles at once.
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First, however, he'll tackle the Monte Carlo Masters.
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"I didn't play it last year," said Djokovic, who won Masters titles on clay at Madrid and Rome last year but fell in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. "I look forward to it. I want to start well. I want to start strong.
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"Clay demands the most physical effort out of all surfaces. You have to be physically very fit. Your endurance has to be on a very high level, because all the long rallies that you play on hard courts, it's double that on clay."
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While Djokovic hasn't matched the astonishing 43-match winning run he put together in the first half of 2011, he has earned one Grand Slam title this year at the Australian Open.
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He reached the semi-finals at Dubai and at Indian Wells before lifting the trophy in Miami -- encouraging signs in a 2012 campaign in which he is also focused on retaining his Wimbledon crown and on the London Olympics.
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"I think I'm playing equally well as I did 12 months ago," he said. "But again, it's different. It's a different approach. I still want to fight for every title, not really defending or calculating how many points I can lose and things like that.
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"I'm playing at the peak of my form. I have to use that as much as I can."
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Far from separating himself from his rivals, Djokovic said he believes the top players on the men's tour are closer than ever.
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"There is no gap, really," he said. "Every tournament is a new opportunity for all the players to win a title. That's how I look at it."
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