The Serbian underlined his complete dominance of men's tennis with another immaculate display to become the first player in the year-ending tournament's 46-year history to triumph four times in a row. As usual this season, Novak Djokovic was the best player on the court.
The top-ranked Serb won his fourth straight title at the season-ending ATP finals on Sunday by beating six-time champion Roger Federer 6-3, 6-4.
Federer brought the tournament to a close in anti-climactic fashion with a double-fault, although not as much as a year ago when he pulled out of the final with back injury.
With the stakes raised, though, the 34-year-old Federer made far too many errors on Sunday while Djokovic's defences proved largely impenetrable, but for the odd flash of Swiss magic that had his large red and white fan club chanting their approval.
Federer's chances were fleeting. He had the first break point in the second game but fluffed a forehand into the net.
In the next game a near-identical forehand found the net to give Djokovic the break and from there the world number one never looked back.
The clinical Djokovic teased Federer into a volley error on set point in the ninth game to move ahead.
Federer beat Djokovic on Tuesday in the group stage, but the 17-time Grand Slam champion made too many mistakes in the final on Sunday. Federer ended up with 31 unforced errors, including 15 from his usually reliable forehand.
He even gave away the final point with his second double-fault of the match.
'It would have been nice to serve a little bit better early on in the match, play better overall on his second serve, because he does allow you to play on his second serve,' said Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the 2012 final and pulled out of last year's championship match against the Serb with a back injury. 'Maybe at times I went for too much.'
Federer, bidding for a record-extending seventh title at the year-ender, was staring at the abyss when he trailed 3-4 0-40 in the second set but escaped with five straight points.
Djokovic was unrelenting though and wore his opponent down with one brutal rally two games later, sealing victory when a Federer second serve sailed long.
Djokovic, who won three Grand Slam titles this year and reached the final in the other, capped the best season of his career with another superb display, including winning 16 of the 19 points on his second serve and saving both break points he faced.
'I couldn't ask for a better finish of the season,' Djokovic said. 'For some reason or another, I've been playing some of my best tennis after the U.S. Open, in Asia and also indoors, both Paris and London.'
After a modest celebration, Djokovic walked back to his chair and wrote 'And now for vacation' in Serbian on a camera lens. How he deserves one.
The 28-year-old has stomped through the season to leave his rivals trailing in his wake -- securing the year-end world number one ranking weeks before the London finale.
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