Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked participant, capped off the yr by setting information, making tennis historical past together with his seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday, defeating Jannik Sinner in straight units 6-3, 6-3, in simply 1 hour and 43 minutes.
In 2023, Djokovic began the yr together with his tenth Australian Open victory after which went on to win his twenty third Grand Slam singles trophy on the French Open, breaking Rafael Nadal’s file. Although he misplaced within the Wimbledon last to Carlos Alcaraz, he bounced again to win the U.S. Open.
“One of the best seasons I’ve had in my life, no doubt,” Djokovic mentioned. “To crown it with a win against a hometown hero in Jannik, who has played amazing tennis this week, is phenomenal.”
Before Sunday’s last, Djokovic and Roger Federer have been neck and neck with six titles every on the season-ending match that includes the yr’s prime eight gamers.
When Sinner double-faulted, Djokovic secured his seventh title and celebrated by stretching out his arms with a broad smile.
This victory reminded him of his convincing semifinal victory over second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday.
“I’m very proud of the performances these last two days against Alcaraz and Sinner, probably the best two players in the world next to me and (Daniil) Medvedev at the moment and the way they have been playing. I had to step it up,” Djokovic mentioned.
“I had to win the matches and not wait for them to hand me the victory and that’s what I’ve done. I think I tactically played differently today than I did in the group stage against Jannik and overall, it was a phenomenal week.”
This marked Djokovic’s fourth win over Sinner, who had achieved his first-ever victory towards Djokovic throughout the group stage in Turin. Sinner’s journey to the ultimate additionally made historical past as he grew to become the primary Italian to achieve this stage.
On Sunday, Djokovic’s excellent efficiency included successful 14 factors from the primary set’s finish to the second set’s third recreation, firmly establishing management and silencing the Turin crowd.
Djokovic secured the year-end No. 1 rating for an eighth time by successful his opening ATP Finals match. After this match, he’ll be the primary participant to carry the No. 1 rating for 400 weeks, with solely Roger Federer at 310 weeks reaching an identical milestone.
Additionally, this marks solely the second time within the final 15 years {that a} participant reached the finals of all 4 Grand Slam tournaments and the ATP Finals, with Djokovic attaining this feat beforehand in 2015.
Sinner arrived on the last with an unbeaten file in Turin and the passionate assist of a hometown crowd, all hoping to witness him develop into the primary Italian to assert victory within the match’s 54-year historical past.
But the 22-year-old Sinner might supply little in response to a masterclass from Djokovic, particularly in a blistering first set that lasted simply 38 minutes and noticed the Serbian win 20 of twenty-two service factors. Djokovic additionally served up 13 aces throughout the match.
“Congratulations to you, Novak, for this week and not only: you started the season by winning and you ended it by winning; you won three Slams and many other tournaments,” Sinner mentioned. “What else is there to say? You’re an inspiration not just for all these watching however particularly for the gamers.
“I also want to thank my team … we saw also today that I can still improve a lot, but we can look at the positive things from this season. When we started the year, I was one player and now I’m another. Thanks to you, who have helped me understand so many things.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com