Novak Djokovic was a player to beat in the closing stages of the 2012 season. The Serb reached the fifth consecutive ATP final in Shanghai after a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tomas Berdych in an hour and 26 minutes. It was Novak’s 23rd Masters 1000 final, leaving Andre Agassi on 22 and chasing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who were ahead of him.Djokovic toppled Berdych for the eighth time in a row and improved his score against the Czech to 10-1. The Serb dropped 15 points in ten service games and pushed the opponent’s second serve to the limits to grab three …