(Turin) Carried by a noisy partisan crowd, Jannik Sinner signed a first career victory against favorite Novak Djokovic on Tuesday at the ATP Finals.
Sinner won 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), needing more than three hours.
Aged 22, Sinner defeated Djokovic for the first time, on his fourth occasion.
The Serbian had won 19 matches in a row since a loss in the Wimbledon final, against Carlos Alcaraz.
PHOTO TIZIANA FABI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Stefanos Tsitsipas, visibly physically weakened, struggled to move and called the doctor.
Sinner punctuated his victory with a smash, to the delight of the crowd gathered in Turin.
As the match progressed, the referee often reminded the crowd to be quieter, whether in cheers for the Italian or boos for Djokovic.
Sinner will have Holger Rune as his next rival, while Djokovic’s next opponent will be Hubert Hurkacz.
Earlier on Tuesday, Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from the tournament due to a back injury after just three games, conceding victory to Rune.
Tsitsipas, the 2019 tournament champion, was trailing 2-1 in the first set when he had a lengthy conversation with his sports physiotherapist.
With the latter’s help, he slowly got up from the bench he was sitting on, nodded and walked towards Rune to shake his hand.
The match was only 17 minutes old and the outcome led to boos from the spectators in Turin, who instead had to settle for an exhibition duel between reserves Taylor Fritz of the United States, and Hurkacz, from Poland.
“My apologies to all the spectators and to the crowd who came to support me today and who attended the match. I am deeply disappointed that I was not able to complete the match, Tsitsipas said. My doctors and the numerous visits I had made over the past few days had given me the green light to come forward and try.
“Unfortunately, I felt really bad on the court. […] I hate pulling out of matches. I’m not the type of person who likes to quit during a match, and it’s killing me not to be able to complete this tournament, the one I’ve been preparing for for so long, for which I’ve made sure I’m in good shape. full health to play my best and show my abilities as a player. »
Tsitsipas, who lost 6-4, 6-4 to Sinner on Sunday, interrupted a training session on Friday due to what appeared to be a physical problem. However, the Greek tennis player said he was doing “absolutely well”.
Rune lost his first match 7-6 (4), 6-7 (1), 6-3 against Djokovic.
“For sure (I didn’t want to win that way). It’s unfortunate, Rune said. You could see him in his first service game; it wasn’t totally comfortable.
“There was no doubt that something was going on and he requested the intervention of a sports physiotherapist that I knew. It’s a long season, I wish him all the best. »
Tsitsipas also withdrew from the tournament in 2021, after losing his first match.
“It is very regrettable. I had two editions here in Turin where I had to withdraw from the tournament,” Tsitsipas recalled. “This had never happened to me before. I remember very few occasions in this regard.
“It hurts me a lot because this is the tournament that means the most to me, including the Grand Slam tournaments. I am not able to compete as I would like. »
Ayla Tomljanovic [WC] – 6:2, 6:0
