Novak Djokovic has seemed like a man often having an argument with himself since he was unexpectedly knocked out in the third round of Wimbledon in July. Once an uncomplicated, all-business competitor, a less motivated, more philosophical Djokovic has emerged in recent months.Signs of this tension in Djokovic were on display Tuesday evening at the ATP World Tour Finals in Londons O2 arena in what was the closest thing he has ever had to a must-win round-robin match. The familiar, fierce competitor ultimately prevailed as Djokovic punched through to the semifinals with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) win against Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, against whom he is now 9-0.But it wasnt without signs of his ongoing interior struggle.If I had to pick one thing [to explain why I won], I would say it was my just hanging in there mentally, waiting for my opportunity to come, Djokovic said in his on-court interview after the match. Milos was playing very well. It was a very close match, just a few points separated us.True, but ...How often did the dominant Djokovic of recent memory allow an opponent who has never beaten him reach set point after Djokovic had forged ahead by a break?There were dangerous lapses against Raonic, who is capable of taking an opponents racket out of his hand with the sheer efficiency of his monstrous serve. Just as significant, Raonic led by a mini-break in each of the tiebreakers. His wounds from that point on were largely self-inflicted. Put them down to an understandable lack of confidence in key moments.Djokovic has probably dallied in like fashion before, but rarely at this event and in this venue, where he has routinely been at his zenith. He has won 20 of his past 21 matches at the O2 and captured the title four years in a row.All that raises a question: Why would anyone mindful of Djokovics 23-0 record against the other three men in his group call this round-robin engagement a must-win match?For one, Djokovic was recently stripped of his No. 1 ranking by Andy Murray. If Djokovic hopes to get it back and finish the year ranked No. 1, he will need to win one more match than Murray. Murray won his opener and plays Kei Nishikori on Wednesday (9 a.m. ET on ESPN3).?Heres another reason: Despite that 0-9 record against Djokovic, Raonic might be the best player who has yet to win a major. Hes hungry, dedicated and on the cusp of a breakthrough prefigured when he eliminated Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals.But perhaps most important, Djokovic is under pressure to show hes not at war with himself. His identity as a hard-edged tennis champion is in conflict with self-absorbed concerns about his evolution as a person and the peace-and-love philosophy espoused by his Svengali-like adviser, Pepe Imaz.Things have gotten complicated for Djokovic in recent months. His nerves have showed signs of fraying. He has had a year that qualifies as spectacular, with two Grand Slam titles and a career Grand Slam in the books, yet his struggles after Wimbledon have been conspicuous.If he wins this event for a fifth consecutive time and retakes the top ranking, the losses in his past four outings will pale in significance. The crushing defeats inflicted by Juan Martin del Potro in the Olympic Games and Stan Wawrinka in the US Open final will be put down to his minor injuries.It was a very close match, Djokovic told reporters after beating Raonic. It really could have gone either way.It was a close match against Raonic, one that could have gone either way. 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Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup.BLAINE, Minn. -- A tap-in on the final green secured the 3M Championship for Tom Pernice Jr. The final putt a hole earlier was his most-important stroke. Pernice birdied the final two holes Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Jeff Sluman and Corey Pavin. He finished with a 4-under 68 and had a 17-under 199 total at the TPC Twin Cities for his second career Champions Tour victory. Trailing Sluman by one shot at the par-3 17th, Pernice played it safe with his tee shot to the middle of the green. He then made about a 40-foot slightly downhill putt to move into a tie. "That really set everything up. It gave me a chance to make birdie on the last to win, which is a lot better than having to make birdie to get into a playoff," said Pernice, who also made a similar distance putt on Saturday to salvage bogey on No. 14. At the par-5 18th, Pernice hit his second shot from 200 yards to 8 feet and two-putted for the winning birdie. It was his first win in 51 events dating to the 2009 SAS Championship, his first event as a member of the Champions Tour. "Im just thrilled to be able to finally get the victory. Its been a long, long spell," he said. Pernice also has two PGA Tour victories. Sluman closed with a 62, and Pavin had a 66. Seeing what Sluman was shooting, Pernice stayed calm throughout the round. He had birdies on Nos. 3 and 4, and after a bogey on No. 9, made a birdie at No. 12 to get to 15 under. "I just tried to tell myself to stay patient, stay relaxed and give yourself plenty of opportunities, and I did," Pernice said. "I hit a few poor drives from time to time, but my iron shots were good, and gave myself a lot of putting opportunities. I didnt really make any until the 12th hole. ... It all worked out for the best for me and I feel fortunate enough to escape with a victory." Sluman, who began the day seven shots behind Pernice, birdied his first seven holes to get to 13 under. It is the first time since 2002, a tour player began his round with seven straight birdies. After a par at the par-3 eighth hole, Sluman birdied the par-4 ninth hole to establish a nine-hole tournament record of 28. "Any of us iis capable of doing that," he said.dddddddddddd "When its happening to you, you just kind of go along with the flow and hit your shots. Its something that doesnt happen very, very often." Sluman, who won the Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf this year with partner Brad Faxon, birdied No. 10 and parred three straight holes before a birdie on the par-4 14th put him alone in front at 16 under. He then failed to break par over the final four holes -- missing a less than 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole. "I played well coming in, but not getting birdie on either of the par 5s on the back nine obviously kind of hurt," he said. "All in all, Im very pleased with the day." Slumans score was one shot higher than the tournament record set three years ago by David Frost, and he was hoping to repeat what happened on the final day of last years event when Bernhard Langer shot a 62 to come from six back to win. Langer skipped this years tournament to play in a European Senior Tour event in Germany. Starting the day three strokes behind Pernice, Pavin was 3 under on the front nine and matched that on the back nine, including birdies on two of his final three holes. He made a long par putt on the other. "I felt comfortable out there and maybe I needed a few more holes, but Tom birdied the last two. Hats off to him," Pavin said. Pavin hasnt finished worse than 19th in his last seven starts, including third-place finishes at the last two tour majors: the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior British Open. Jay Haas, Bart Bryant and Rod Spittle tied for fourth at 14 under. Haas shot 65, Bryant 67 and Spittle 68. Kenny Perry, coming off consecutive major victories in the Senior Players Championship and U.S. Senior Open, was two shots behind coming to the final hole, but his second shot went into the water and he finished with a 67. He was 13 under along with Colin Montgomerie, Craig Stadler and Kirk Triplett. Tom Kite started the day two shots back and was hoping to become the oldest winner on 50-and-over tour history. The 63-year-old shot an even-par 72 and was one of five players to finish six shots back. ' ' '