ATP Finals A record seventh title for Novak Djokovic

(Turin) Novak Djokovic ended the year as he started it – breaking records.

The world number one set a record by winning the ATP Finals title for a seventh career time on Sunday.

The Serbian needed an hour and 43 minutes to defeat Italian Jannik Sinner in two sets of 6-3, 6-3.

Aged 36, Djokovic started the year 2023 by triumphing for a 10^e time at the Australian Open and he got a 23^e Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros, beating Rafael Nadal. After losing in the final to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon, Djokovic won the US Open.

“It’s one of the best seasons of my career. Without a doubt, he noted. To cap it off with a victory against Jannik, the local favorite who played extraordinary tennis all week, it’s phenomenal. »

Djokovic entered the match tied with Roger Federer for the most titles at this season-ending tournament that features the world’s top eight players.

He raised his arms and smiled brightly after confirming his victory, following a double fault from Sinner. This victory echoed the methodical victory he recorded against Alcaraz in the semi-final on Saturday.

“I’m very proud of my performances over the last two days against Alcaraz and Sinner, probably the two best players in the world next to me and Medvedev at the moment. After seeing the way they played, I had to step up my efforts, Djokovic emphasized.

“I had to win the matches and not wait for them to give me victory and that’s what I did. I think I played with a different tactic today compared to the group stage against Jannik. Overall, it was a phenomenal week. »

It was Djokovic’s fourth victory at the expense of Sinner, who had scored his first career victory against the Serb during the group stage in Turin. Sinner became the first Italian to reach the final at this tournament.

Djokovic was, however, in imperious form on Sunday, and he won 14 consecutive points, from the end of the first set to the third game of the second, to distance himself.

By virtue of his tournament-opening victory, Djokovic had already secured the top spot in the ATP year-end rankings for a record eighth time in his career.

Djokovic will become the first player to hold the No. 1 ranking for 400 weeks. Roger Federer, with 310 weeks, is the only other man to eclipse the 300-week mark.

It was also only the second time in the last 15 years that a player had qualified for the final of all four Grand Slams and the ATP Finals. Djokovic was also the author, in 2015.