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Djokovic wins record 7th ATP Finals title by beating Sinner in straight sets

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy after winning the singles final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Pala Alpitour, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates with the trophy after winning the singles final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Pala Alpitour, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, winner, left, and second placed Italy’s Jannik Sinner hold their trophies at the end of the singles final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Pala Alpitour, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy’s Jannik Sinner holds the second placed trophy at the end of the singles final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Pala Alpitour, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning the singles final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Pala Alpitour, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy’s Jannik Sinner reacts after losing a point to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during their singles final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Pala Alpitour, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Italy’s Jannik Sinner during their singles final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Pala Alpitour, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

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TURIN, Italy (AP) — Novak Djokovic ended the year just as he started it — by setting records.

The top-ranked Djokovic won a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday with a straight-set victory over home favorite Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic took 1 hour, 43 minutes to win 6-3, 6-3 as the Serbian continues to reach new heights at the age of 36.

He started 2023 with a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and went on to claim his 23rd Grand Slam singles trophy at the French Open, breaking Rafael Nadal’s mark. Djokovic, who lost the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz, also won the U.S. Open .

“One of the best seasons I’ve had in my life, no doubt,” Djokovic said. “To crown it with a win against a hometown hero in Jannik, who has played amazing tennis this week, is phenomenal.”

Djokovic entered Sunday’s final tied with Roger Federer on six titles at the season-ending tournament for the year’s top eight players.

And he stretched out his arms and beamed broadly after clinching his seventh when Sinner double-faulted.

The victory had echoes of the clinical way Djokovic dispatched second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in Saturday’s semifinal encounter.

“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 said.

“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 different today than I have in the group stage against Jannik, and just overall it was a phenomenal week.”

It was his fourth win over Sinner, who had recorded a first-ever victory against Djokovic in the group stage in Turin and was the first Italian to reach the final.

But Djokovic was in imperious form on Sunday and won 14 straight points from the end of the first set to the third game of the second to leave him firmly in control and subdue the Turin crowd.

Djokovic had already secured the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record-extending eighth time by winning his opening match at the ATP Finals.

After this tournament, Djokovic will become the first player to hold the No. 1 ranking for 400 weeks, with Roger Federer at 310 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 has made the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments and the ATP Finals. The only previous occasion was when Djokovic did it in 2015.

Sinner came into the final having won all of his matches in Turin and backed by a fervent home crowd, who had dreams of him becoming the first Italian to win the tournament in its 54-year history.

But the 22-year-old Sinner could offer little in response to a master class from Djokovic, especially in a blistering first set that lasted just 38 minutes and saw the Serbian win 20 of 22 service points. Djokovic also served up 13 aces during 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 said. “What else is there to say? You’re an inspiration not only for all those watching, but especially for the players.

“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.”

AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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ATP Finals: Novak Djokovic beats Jannik Sinner to win record seventh title

Novak Djokovic – who won the ATP Finals previously in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2022 – has now eclipsed the record of six titles he shared with Roger Federer; following his 6-3 6-3 triumph over Jannik Sinner, the Serb said he wants a 'Golden Slam' in 2024

Monday 20 November 2023 07:58, UK

Novak Djokovic defeated home favourite Jannik Sinner at the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin to win the title for a record seventh time.

A ruthless Djokovic saw off Sinner in front of a passionate crowd, winning 6-3 6-3 to seal victory, after previously having lost to the Italian in the round-robin section of the competition.

Following his victory, the 36-year-old told reporters that he is eyeing a clean sweep of the majors next year as well as the singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, to claim a 'Golden Slam'.

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Steffi Graf is the only player to have achieved the feat before, winning the Australian, French and US Opens, Wimbledon and a gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

"You can win four slams and an Olympic gold," Djokovic said. "I have always the highest ambitions and goals. That's not going to be different for the next year.

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"The drive that I have is still there. My body has been serving me well, listening to me well. I have a great team of people around me.

"Motivation, especially for the biggest tournaments in sport, is still present. It still inspires me to keep going."

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The 24-time Grand Slam winner said he was "very, very proud" of his season. "Four out of five tournaments... I couldn't ask for more to be honest," he added.

"It's a great reward for what my team and I have been through this year, being one of the most successful years in my career that I've ever had."

Djokovic breezes by Sinner to break ATP Finals record

Djokovic asserted his control early in Sunday's ATP Tour showpiece against Sinner, producing a near faultless opening set – dropping just two points on serve – as he added yet another milestone to his incredible career.

The world No 1, who first won the tournament in 2008, now stands alone having won the title seven times, beating the record of six titles he previously shared with Roger Federer.

Throughout the second set, the Serb kept the foot on the accelerator, breaking Sinner in the opening service game and refused to let up despite some spirited resistance from the 22-year-old.

At one point Djokovic won 14 points in a row against a player ranked fourth in the world before Sinner briefly slowed the march of the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 @DjokerNole masters Sinner 6-3, 6-3 to capture a record SEVENTH #NittoATPFinals title! pic.twitter.com/329PwngtWt — ATP Tour (@atptour) November 19, 2023

Sinner avoided going a double break of serve down as Djokovic surprisingly failed to make a passing shot and Sinner then had points to break back in the sixth game but could not convert either of them.

Djokovic also failed to convert break points that would have given him a 5-2 lead as a few errors crept into his game.

The crowd tried their best to energise their man but Djokovic moved on towards victory and a Sinner double fault ended the contest. Djokovic moves past Federer to stand alone as the most successful player in the tournament's history.

His win concludes a year in which he won three of the four Grand Slam titles and seized back the world No 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz and worryingly for the chasing pack he will head into 2024 looking as dominant as ever.

Brit Salisbury and partner Ram defend doubles title

Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram defended their ATP World Tour Finals men's doubles crown in style as they beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3 6-4 in just over an hour.

The American-British extended their winning streak inside the Pala Alpitour to 10 matches after a blistering end to the year, which was sparked by the pair's triumph at Flushing Meadows as they claimed a third successive US Open title.

Since the first round in New York, they have won 17 of 19 matches – winning another tournament in Vienna along the way – and the sixth seeds certainly played like a team full of confidence on Sunday.

A Ram return winner against Granollers' serve on a deciding point clinched the only break of the first set in the fourth game, and they broke through against the Spaniard's delivery again for a 4-3 lead in the second before serving out for victory.

Salisbury said: "I think we've got better throughout the week. I think that was our best match, maybe along with the semi-final yesterday. I think we've served well and not got broken many times. We did that really well and managed to take the few chances we had today. I think we got a little bit of luck as well, but it seems like we get it in this place.

"We definitely didn't have a great first half of the year, and sometimes you need a bit of a shock, some tough times, to kind of kick you into gear and get you back to knowing what you were doing well, and how you were winning. We managed to do that and we've kept it going for a little bit, which is nice."

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Novak Djokovic becomes ATP Finals champion for the seventh time, beating Jannik Sinner in Turin

Sport Novak Djokovic becomes ATP Finals champion for the seventh time, beating Jannik Sinner in Turin

Novak Djokovic ended the year just as he started it — by setting records. 

World number one Djokovic won a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday with a straight-sets victory over home favourite Jannik Sinner in Turin.

Djokovic took 1 hour, 43 minutes to win 6-3, 6-3 as the Serbian continues to reach new heights at the age of 36.

He started 2023 with a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and went on to claim his 23rd grand slam singles trophy at the French Open, breaking Rafael Nadal's mark. Djokovic, who lost the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz, also won the US Open.

"One of the best seasons I've had in my life, no doubt," Djokovic said. "To crown it with a win against a hometown hero in Jannik, who has played amazing tennis this week, is phenomenal."

Djokovic entered Sunday's final tied with Roger Federer on six titles at the season-ending tournament for the year's top eight players.

He stretched out his arms and beamed broadly after clinching his seventh when Sinner double-faulted.

The victory had echoes of the clinical way Djokovic dispatched second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in Saturday's semifinal encounter.

"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 said.

"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 different today than I have in the group stage against Jannik, and just overall it was a phenomenal week."

Sinner had recorded a first-ever victory against Djokovic in the group stage in Turin and was the first Italian to reach the final.

But Djokovic was in imperious form on Sunday and won 14 straight points from the end of the first set to the third game of the second to leave him firmly in control and subdue the Turin crowd.

Djokovic had already secured the year-end number one ranking for a record-extending eighth time by winning his opening match at the ATP Finals.

After this tournament, Djokovic will become the first player to hold the number one ranking for 400 weeks, with Roger Federer at 310 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 has made the finals of all four grand slam tournaments and the ATP Finals. The only previous occasion was when Djokovic did it in 2015.

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Novak Djokovic earns record seventh ATP Finals title after comfortable victory over Jannik Sinner

Updated 20/11/2023 at 09:56 GMT

Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer as the tennis player to win the most titles at the ATP Finals. He defeated Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-3 in this year’s final, clinching his seventh title at the prestigious end-of-season tournament. With three more Grand Slam titles under his belt, Djokovic said it had been “one of the most successful seasons” of his career.

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Novak Djokovic beats Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-3 to clinch sixth ATP Finals title – as it happened

Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer’s record of six ATP Finals titles after a 7-5 6-3 win over Casper Ruud in Turin

• 20 Nov 2022 Novak Djokovic beats Casper Ruud 7-5 6-3 to win the ATP Finals! He equals Roger Federer's record of six titles!
• 20 Nov 2022 Preamble

Righto, that is us; thanks for your company. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend, and stick with us for the obscene quantity of sport we’ve got for you over the next week. Peace out.

Now here comes Djokovic, and he holds aloft the trophy as the indoor fireworks and tickertape do their thing – how did we cope before their invention? Anyhow, Djokovic tosses in some Italian, of course he does, before congratulating Ruud and his team saying his work-ethic is inspirational to him and lots of others around the world. Decent praise, that, and he says Ruud and his team are nice people, respectful to everyone, and he probably hoped he could win one of his three big finals, but getting to them is a big achievement and he’s still young, so should win some soon.

Djokovic then thanks his team – his parents and brothers who aren’t with him – and it’s been a tough year, during which they’ve all helped him. Only his family know what they’ve all been through, they’ve given him strength, and the trophy is as much theirs as his. He can’t match Ruud’s speech, he chortles, thanking Nitto too, then talks about how hard and long the season is before switching to Italian, thanking the crowd for their passionate support, this year even better than last.

Oh, he’s not finished, he wants to thank tennis fans around the world, praises the Turin atmosphere, and hopes the wait to get to Australia won’t be too long. What a nice boy. Ah, and he thanks “my beautiful girlfriend Maria,” who looks extremely bashful; he thanks her for her waiting around, her patience, and looks forward to being “a normal person” for a few weeks before he has to go to Oz.

Ruud collects his runner-up’s plate, and congratulates Djokovic and his team. He can’t imagine how hard the year’s been for him, and says his hat’s off, which it is – but not, I don’t think, for that reason. Djokovic appreciates being appreciated, then Ruud thanks his own team who help and motivate him every day – he’s had a year of many big highs – some lows too – and he’s already looking forward to the next one. Finally, he thanks the sponsors, saying this is one of the best tournaments to play, and hopes Nitto stay as sponsors for many years to come, thanking them in Japanese, then the ball kids and volunteers who make the players feel like kings, which he says is very nice.

Respect to Ruud, who’s had a great year – I didn’t expect him to get this good this fast – but he just couldn’t create chances today, and couldn’t cope when Djokovic turned it up.

He says in finals, matches tend to be decided on small margins, a break in each set here. Both players served well, he says, and the key game, the 12th of the first set, he managed to put a few returns back in play and be aggressive from there. He felt nervous at 30-all in the final game, and the fact he’s had to wait seven years since last winning this makes is extra sweet. He’s looking forward to a couple of weeks off as he’s spent the year “on the needles” waiting to hear about where he’s able to play, and I’d wager he’s a at least another four or five slams in him.

In the back of my mind lurks memory of Medvedev whacking Djokovic in the US Open final last year, but I can’t see how anyone but him wins Australia in January. Fit, settled him on a hard court is close to unbeatable, and he is for mine, the best player in the world by far.

Djokovic celebrates with his kids, then his team, then his wife, and he is, for my money, the best there’s ever been. His has no weaknesses and, more than that, he has that ability to do whatever his opponent least wants him to do, and key moments. I’ve never seen an athlete like him in tennis – he’s not the best mover, but in terms of elasticity, whip and fitness, he’s in a league of his own.

Novak Djokovic beats Casper Ruud 7-5 6-3 to win the ATP Finals! He equals Roger Federer's record of six titles!

Ruud 5-7 3-6 Djokovic* Djokovic goes long with a forehand! He’s crumbling under the pressure! Pathetic! But an error from Ruud gives him 15-all and an overhead makes 30-15 … before Djokovic nets for 30s! He needs first serve, doesn’t get one so a sapping rally – 36 strokes, the longest of the match! – ensues, and you know how that go. Djokovic stays in it with exhibition ludicrous athleticism, eventually forcing Ruud to go long! Match point! AND HE FINISHES IT WITH AN ACE! HE EQUALS ROGER FEDRER’S SIX TITLES! HE IS A TOTAL JOKE!

*Ruud 5-7 3-5 Djokovic Come on Casper, at least make him serve for it. He does too, an ace out wide at 30-0 probably his best delivery of the match. So Djokovic inflicts a succession of booming forehands, Ruud then shanks one long … before slamming down a brave serve for the game. Djokovic will now serve to join Roger Federer on six titles!

Ruud 5-7 2-5 Djokovic* Djokovic’s lack of any serious weakness is just bizarre, and it means he can tailor his game to whatever his opponent wants to face least. Today, for example, he’s used his forehand, backhand and serve really well – by amazing coincidence, just as he did yesterday, and does almost every other day. As I type that, 40-15 becomes 40-30 and Ruud runs around his backhand to try and whack a forehand winner down the line. But he can’t get low enough – can you think of a man who can? – so loops it long. Djokovic is a game away!

*Ruud 5-7 2-4 Djokovic Ruud has gone from 77% serve-forehand to 34%, which tells you how ridiculously effectively Djokovic’s returns are finding his backhand. That said, Djokovic is only a break up in this set – though I’d not be surprised if he found another – and at 40-0, he retrieves with typical elasticity, then dashes in to flick a drop down the line as Ruud covers cross-court. And, well, Djokovic then clouts a backhand winner down the line, it’s called out, he challenges … and yup, it was in; 40-30 and nerves a-janglin’ so well done Ruud for disbursing a service winner for a crucial hold.

Ruud 5-7 1-4 Djokovic* Djokovic spanks a backhand down the line for 15-0 and he’s really turning it up now; that break point was converted partly because he forced his return onto Ruud’s backhand, his ability to mercilessly exploit an opponent’s weakness and at key moments absolutely vicious. Anyhow, at 15-all, Ruud thinks he’s in game and rally, so Djokovic murders a forehand winner down the line and this is currently not fair, a superhero against a mortal. Djokovic holds to 15, an overhead securing the consolidation with an exclamation mark, and this is just so, so good.

*Ruud 5-7 1-3 Djokovic Djokovic contorts into a low return and Ruud nets for 15-all, then Djokovic sticks a forehand into the backhand corner that forces a netted backhand. And, well, oh dear: Ruud serves well, comes in … and botches his volley. 15-40, and if Djokovic wins one of the next two points, you’d assume he wins the match with it … and he only needs the first, playing a brilliant point to dominate the rally from the back until Ruud can’t take any more and hits long! It turns out he’s quite good at tennis!

Ruud 5-7 1-2 Djokovic* I think Djokovic’s rig is emerald; it looks not unlike the kind of football top one might’ve worn playing Sunday league in the late-80s. Anyhow, he’s serving really well now, so when Ruud, who usually chips returns, changes his position, it makes no difference and 40-0 up, Djokovic comes in behind his first delivery and puts away a winning volley.

*Ruud 5-7 1-1 Djokovic Ruud accelerates to 40-0, and though Djokovic wins the next point, a backhand into the net gets the Dane on the board in set two.

Ruud 5-7 0-1 Djokovic* Ruud will be absolutely spewing; he was OK in that set, but Djokovic – now a set away from becoming this tournament’s, er, join most-winningest player – grew at clutch, as he shrank. In fairness, Djokovic always looked the likelier to make the breakthrough, and Ruud needs to change something because a quick hold puts him under immediate pressure.

*Ruud 5-7 Djokovic Djokovic returns and a net-cord forces Ruud wide; he nets. But Djokovic goes long off his next return for 15-all and a colossal, leaping forehand winner from centre to forehand corner makes 30-15. Djokovic, though, unfurls the forehand to send two cross-court, opening the space for a winner down the line. Djokovic is two points away from the set and when he can’t return Ruud’s next serve, he challenges .. and he’s right! He’ll climb into the second delivery – for which Ruud has to wait because the tech takes a while – and shonuff, Ruud then nets a backhand to hand Djokovic set point. And after a long rally, Ruud pinned in the backhand corner, he thrashes a backhand long, and that’s the set! Absolutely typical Djokovic!

Ruud 5-6 Djokovic* Djokovic zones a backhand slice down the line and when Ruud nets in response, he addresses a stern groan to himself. This inspires him next point – he gambles and picks the backhand side when behind in the rally, Djokovic does indeed go to that corner and he’s waiting to deflect a winner down the line. For all the good it does him, a big forehand followed by a big serve followed by an ace out wide giving him 6-5 and the DJ is properly on a 1990 tip! Makes sense – after all, 1990 is … time to move on.

*Ruud 5-5 Djokovic A booming delivery down the T sets Ruud away as he serves to stay in the set, then Djokovic wafts a backhand wide. Ruud does then net, but Djokovic – who’s been trying to get a steers off his team as regards where to stand when receiving – sends a backhand long and Ruud quickly closes out

Ruud 4-5 Djokovic* A love-hold for Djokovic, sealed with a high-kicking ace down the middle. He’s only lost four points on serve so far, Rudd has only lost six. The court is so, so quick.

*Ruud 4-4 Djokovic The DJ – yes, there’s a DJ, of course there’s a DJ, this is a tennis match – drops a bit of C&C Music Factory at change of ends. 1990 in the houuuuuuse! What a year of tunes that was, on which point I recently concluded that the Adamski version of Killer has the better track but the Seal version has the better vocal . Anyhow, at 30-0 Djokovic finds a big forehand then a volley, snatching into the next point by walking into a forehand return then really opening his shoulders until Ruud can’t take any more. 30-all, and he seems to have decided it’s time. Yes he has! A backhand cross-court from Djokovic catches Ruud at the net and rather than put away backhand volley, he tries to force a forehand, sending it well long; break point again. But a terrific second serve from Ruud, out wide, facilitates the forehand clean-up, then a big first serve allows another big forehand for advantage and from there, Ruud quickly secures the hold.

Ruud 3-4 Djokovic* Djokovic is serving pretty well here – both players are – but a good backhand from Ruud hauls him in and his sliced volley drops just wide. No matter: an overhead while backpeddling raises game point and an unreturned serve means he leads 4-3. Neither man is making much impression on the other’s serve currently.

*Ruud 3-3 Djokovic Ruud looks not unlike a McGann brother, and in the time it takes me to find that photo, he races to 40-0 before whamming a backhand winner down the line, hs new, more open racket-face making the difference.

Ruud 2-3 Djokovic* A terrific game from Djokovic, forcing the issue . He makes 40-0 with a fine volley at the net, then ends things with an ace. He’s shaking a little bit at change of ends, though, as he did against Medvedev the other day – he doesn’t quite look himself.

*Ruud 2-2 Djokovic Djokovic stretches for a volley and hurts his leg or knee as Ruud makes 15-0; a big serve follows for 30-0, then Djokovic swipes a return wide and another long. He’s not constructing points currently, rather trying to finish them.

Ruud 1-2 Djokovic* Djokovic spanks a forehand wide for 0-15 then, after a long, 25-stroke rally, he tries to finish it with a drop and nets! Djokovic, though, is getting his second serve going, and it helps him to 15-30, followed by a big first go out wide for 30-all. Another good first serve, down the T, makes 40-30, then a clean ace swerving away, and that’s four straight points quicksmart.

*Ruud 1-1 Djokovic at 15-0, we rally cross-court, backhand to backhand, then Djokovic punishes one down the line with glorious disguise for another clean winner. Then, when Ruud comes in, he can’t find a stop volley when the ball’s fired at him, his effort looping long – he’s yet to find a first serve – then he goes long again so now faces two break points. Again, he misses his first serve and Djokovic goes for it with a backhand down the line – he ought to make it too, but doesn’t – then a forehand earns Ruud deuce and he closes out really well. He’s into the match now.

Ruud 0-1 Djokovic* Djokovic nets a backhand for 0-15, but a netted forehand return gives him 15-all. An ace out wide follows – Ruud challenges fruitlessly – then can’t capitalise on a slow, kicking second serve, catching the a net cord that flicks the ball wide. A backhand winner down the line then ends the game, and Djokovic looks as strong as expected.

Righto, off we go!

He also thinks Ruud shouldn’t drop serve. I agree, I think dropping serve would be a poor tactic.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in the crowd; Greg Rusedski is pleased because he’s “obviously an AC Milan supporter”. Obviously.

Aurelie Tourte is umpiring – the first woman to preside over the final of this competition, so mazal tov to her. Djokovic wins the toss and will serve.

It is with deep regret that I tell you Djokovic is again wearing green that doesn’t match, with white socks and green Asics trainers. All that bunce, and for what?

Here come our players!

Mark Petchey points out that Ruud’s made huge improvements to his second serve this year, and he’s sending opponents out wide more often now, which allows him to get his big forehand into play sooner.

Djokovic has won this title five times, as have Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras. A win here takes him level with Roger Federer at the top of the roll of honour.

Aha, the telly coverage has started. Good.

I’ve just experienced a sugar craving, and in the absence from my home of anything I’d prefer, sneaked myself a Fruit Pastille ice lolly without my nine-year-old noticing. Ruud will need to show enterprise and daring of that ilk if he’s to win tonight.

Back to Ruud, at 23 he’s got lots of time to improve. It’s just hard to see how develops the weapons that mean he can win finals against players that already have them.

On the other hand…

Casper Ruud has reached the final in four of the seven biggest events in the calendar this year: French Open, US Open, ATP Finals, Miami. A pretty incredible achievement for someone who started the season without a single slam QF to his name. — Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) November 19, 2022

Calvin Betton, our resident coach , emails in with his thoughts: “It’s a dull match up. Ruud is basically a C-list Djokovic. Competes great, makes a lot of balls, moves well. But Djokovic is better at every aspect, and I can’t see him not winning.”

Also going on…

Ruud strikes me as one of those players who’ll never be quite good enough to win a slam, because there’ll always be someone better – whether someone like Alcaraz, so someone with more ability, or someone random who happens to find the form of their life at the right time.

So, what on earth can Ruud do to beat Djokovic? Er, I don’t know. I guess he could follow the Stan v Nadal approach, which is attacking everything and hoping it’s his day. Or, conversely, Djokovic is principally a defensive payer, so if Ruud just gets everything back and tries to play to his backhand, maybe that works. Or maybe not.

I don’t want to get previous, people, but might we be at that point? You know the one I mean because we always suspected we’d get to to it eventually and it’s been teased for what seems like a decade, so: has Novak Djokovic outlasted the other two members of the big three? And if he has, is he going to spend the next couple of years monstering everyone and everything?

You can’t say he hasn’t worked for it. I remember hearing, quite some years ago, that every spare second – waiting for a cab, after a meal, speaking on the phone – he stretches to keep himself supple. It’s drive like that that means even at 36, I’d still back him to win any match.

Which isn’t to say we should write-off Rafael Nadal, who is to comebacks as a Tory administration is to U-turns. He’s probably got at least one more French Open in him, but it’s hard to see him taking any other majors and it wasn’t especially surprising that he didn’t escape the group in this tournament.

But that’s only the half of things. Worthy though Casper Ruud – and Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Taylor Fritz, and Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz and even Daniil Medvedev – are, none of them will ever be the greatest player we’ve ever seen, which is the standard at which Djokovic has been competing for the past aeon.

Which isn’t to say that Ruud, currently 0-3 in the head-to-head, can’t win tonight – he can. But for that to happen, he needs to produce close to his best tennis, while Djokovic needs to produce close to his worst – and both men know it. We shall see.

Start: 7pm local, 6pm GMT

• Novak Djokovic

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Novak Djokovic and his journey from divisive lightning rod back to the top of the game

In the fog of three more Grand Slam titles, another ATP Tour Finals championship, and yet another ridiculous season in what has been a ridiculous career, it’s hard to remember just how rocky it all was a year ago for Novak Djokovic. 

In hindsight, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s legacy as the greatest player of the modern era as secure as it can be, the glide path to all this appears smooth and inevitable. It has not been. Not throughout his career, or even through this past magical year when Djokovic journeyed from his role as the sport’s lightning rod to its grand elder statesman. 

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“Last year’s circumstances I used as a fuel for this year,” Djokovic said just past midnight Sunday morning, with one last match to play, but knowing better than anyone how far he had come.

In the largest picture, the outcome Sunday evening against Jannik Sinner hardly mattered. But when the final point of the final tournament of the year ended, Djokovic, predictably, had yet another title, beating Sinner, the hometown favorite 6-3, 6-3 to win the ATP Tour Finals for a record seventh time. The win redeemed his loss to the talented and fast-improving Italian last Tuesday and further delayed a changing of the guard that will come one day, but seemingly not anytime soon. 

It was his seventh tournament triumph in 12 starts this season, an astounding winning percentage in a sport where even the best players end most of their weeks with losses. Djokovic had Sinner on a puppeteer’s string all evening, moving him all about the court, then shaping winners into the open space, or drawing errors from a still-developing talent not quite ready to meet the moment — or beat the greatest player of the modern era twice in a week. Who is?  

“Today I saw that I still have to improve,” Sinner said when it was over.  He has plenty of company.

Even before Djokovic walked onto the court, he had already achieved every objective for the year. He came within a set of winning all for Grand Slam titles in the same year for the first time in men’s tennis since 1969; he broke the record for most Grand Slam singles titles, then broke it again; he wrestled the No. 1 ranking away from Carlos Alcaraz, the 20-year-old Spanish sensation, and finished the year on top of the rankings. 

Beyond that, a player who so often wrested controversy out of calm evolved into something he had never been, dimming even recent memories of how divisive he could be, and how far from elder statesman status he was.

But go back a little more than a year. It’s the fall of 2022. Djokovic had not played a competitive match since Wimbledon. He missed the summer season as he could not get into North America because he refused to get vaccinated for Covid-19, a decision that damaged his reputation with huge swathes of the population for more than a year. 

His two biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the most beloved players of the era, held hands and cried during Federer’s retirement ceremony at the Laver Cup that September. Djokovic, the third member of the so-called Big Three, was off to the side, both figuratively and literally. 

For the rest of the season, he had to scour vaccination regulations to build a schedule that would make up for the lost time over the summer and get him ready for the ATP Finals. Meanwhile, his team of lawyers were busy negotiating with Australia’s government to get him eligible for the Australian Open, which seemed like a longshot. 

The previous January, Australian authorities detained and deported him over the vaccination controversy, a deeply wounding experience for his psyche and his reputation. The deportation came with a three-year suspension of his visa, unless he received special permission that is rarely given. In addition, the U.S., where the tennis tour travels in late spring and then through the second half of the summer, showed no sign of changing its vaccination rules, meaning Djokovic appeared likely to miss a huge chunk of the season, and perhaps two of the four Grand Slams, for a second consecutive year.

Inside the sport, leaders were questioning the intentions of the nascent players’ organization he co-founded, the Professional Tennis Players Association. Rumors floated about whether the organization would attempt to launch a breakaway tour in the style of LIV Golf, with funding from Saudi Arabia.

The first positive news came in mid-November, when the Australian government reinstated his visa. For the next six weeks, he fretted over the reception that awaited him there. The government and the media had attempted to turn him into the embodiment of a rich athlete seeking a special privilege, a message that millions of inhabitants of the island nation who had endured more than a year of lockdowns gobbled up.

Ultimately, Australia gave him a lukewarm but hardly hostile welcome. Still, Djokovic told Serbian journalists he took special pleasure in the 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 fourth-round demolition of Alex de Minaur, the country’s top player. Then his father was photographed celebrating a win with a fan holding a Russian flag. Serbia and Russia have historic ties. Djokovic was a public enemy once more and forced to answer uncomfortable questions about his views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He made it clear he was against all wars and tried to set the issue aside, but when he won the title, he collapsed in tears on the ground beneath his team, releasing the emotional strain of the past weeks.

And then, other than a mid-tier tournament in Dubai in February, he was gone once more, unable to enter the U.S. for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, or the Miami Open, two of the biggest stops on the ATP Tour. When the clay court swing began, in April, the losses piled up. Ahead of the French Open, his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, said Djokovic had berated his team, telling them he wasn’t adequately prepared. 

“I was doubting my game, a lot,” he said Sunday, recalling that time.

The retrospective videos will show Djokovic pushing Alcaraz into cramps and exhaustion in the semifinals, then two days later donning a jacket emblazoned with the number “23” to celebrate his surpassing Nadal and tennis history in the race for the most Grand Slam titles. They will likely skip over the self-imposed crisis of the first week, when he scrawled “Kosovo is the [heart symbol] of Serbia ” on a glass in front of a television camera in response to violent clashes in Kosovo, putting himself once more in the middle of a battle that has plagued the Balkans for nearly 1,000 years.

Djokovic’s message came after violence broke out following a decision by Kosovo’s leaders to take control of ethnically Serbian areas of the country. This move defied the Western nations managing the international oversight of the region. Critics accused him of aligning himself with fascism and philosophies that led to ethnic cleansing.

“I’m aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is. It’s something that I stand for,” he explained. Then he allowed for a moment of broader reflection on yet another dust-up. 

“ Drama-free Grand Slam, I don’t think it can happen for me,” he said.

Nearly everyone else in tennis spent the next weeks at tournaments in England, Germany and Spain, competing on grass to prepare for Wimbledon. Djokovic went hiking in the Azores with his wife, Jelena, then cruised into the Wimbledon final.

This was where it always goes right for Djokovic, a master of grass-court tennis. And then it didn’t. Somehow Alcaraz, who was supposed to be a few years away from being able to adapt to slick subtleties of the grass, figured it out in a hurry. When he rose from the edge of defeat and prevailed in five sets, the sport decided it had its torch-passing moment.

Djokovic absorbed the chatter, went on vacation with his family to the waters of Croatia, then traveled to the U.S. for the first time in two years, the echoes of the chatter about the start of the Alcaraz era still reverberating.

First came his revenge over Alcaraz, in the heavy heat of the Western & Southern Open near Cincinnati that early in his career was his Kryptonite. The U.S. Open, the Grand Slam that has given him more inexplicable trouble than any other, delivered a third-round, late-night scare from his countryman Laslo Djere, who surged to a two-set lead before Djokovic surged back. And just as Djokovic closed in on a title, he decided to rub the vanquished Ben Shelton’s nose in his defeat by stealing the young and rising American’s “hang-up-the-phone” celebration gesture, giving the fortnight a bit of his trademark spice. Old habits die hard.

“He wants to improve,” Ivanisevic said Sunday night. “That’s good news, and also bad news for us.”

The efforts have befuddled and demoralized, for the moment at least, the best of the latest “next generation” of stars, just as they did the last one. They are unable to comprehend how he sustains his level in game after game and match after match.

“You have to play your hundred per cent,” Alcaraz said after his Saturday night drubbing. “If not, you’re dead.

Djokovic will try to win the Davis Cup with Serbia in Malaga, Spain in the coming days. Then comes a well-deserved month-long break, a post-Christmas exhibition against Alcaraz in Saudi Arabia, and then it’s off to Australia to start anew, trying to find the right balance between his professional and personal lives that may be the toughest puzzle for him to solve as his young children grow. 

The journey continues.

(Top photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

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Matthew Futterman is an award-winning veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.”Before coming to The Athletic in 2023, he worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is currently writing a book about tennis, "The Cruelest Game: Agony, Ecstasy and Near Death Experiences on the Pro Tennis Tour," to be published by Doubleday in 2026. Follow Matthew on Twitter @ mattfutterman

Novak Djokovic’s dominance goes to another level when indoors at the ATP Finals

The ATP Tour Finals get underway Sunday at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy, and that is just terrible news for everyone involved with the exception of a certain defending champion from Serbia. 

With 24 Grand Slam titles and so many other records in his tennis bag, Novak Djokovic, the world No 1 at 36 years old, is the prohibitive favorite anytime he walks onto a tennis court, regardless of the playing surface or the weather conditions. 

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He dominated the sport once more this year, winning three of the four Grand Slam singles titles on clay and hard courts and was a couple of routine backhands and a floating forehand away from winning on the grass at Wimbledon.

“He’s just better,” said Paul Annacone, a solid pro in the 1980s who later coached Roger Federer and now advises Taylor Fritz. 

Indeed he is, and yet he is arguably at his toughest when the sport moves inside and is contested on hard courts. He won the Paris Masters — for a record seventh time — last week on an indoor hard court despite a three-day upset stomach and not even playing very well. This looks like another triumphant week for Djokovic and an angsty, frustrating time in northern Italy for everyone else. 

That’s what unfolded last year in Turin with Djokovic raising his level in the biggest moments — as he so often does — and walking away with nearly $5million in prize money after going undefeated in five matches. Since then, the Serb has won six of the 11 tournaments he has entered. He hasn’t lost a match since the Wimbledon final in July.

And yet, as good as he has been this season, his performance in Turin a year ago stands apart. It was arguably the best Djokovic anyone has seen for a long while. Another win in the ATP Tour Finals and he will surpass Roger Federer with seven year-end titles.

A deep dive into a trove of tennis data that has become available only in recent years shows this really might be the most dangerous setting for the world’s most dangerous player. Seriously, this is just terrible news for anyone who ends up on the other side of the net this week.

The analysis is the byproduct of ball and player tracking data collected through high-speed cameras and analyzed in real-time from technology developed by a British company, TennisViz, and Tennis Data Innovations (T.D.I), a joint venture of the ATP Tour and ATP Media.  It has expanded the data collection across the entire main ATP tour, and the combined efforts have delivered fans, players and tennis coaches information that previous generations could never dream of capturing.

The result is a series of metrics that show whether a player is attacking or defending on every shot; the quality of those shots based on the speed, spin, and landing spot; how often they win points they shouldn’t — their so-called steal score; how clinical they are at finishing points they should win; and how often they win the all-important baseline battles that so much of modern tennis has become. Taken together, players can see not just how they measure up against the competition, but why. 

That’s where Djokovic’s edge in Turin last year stands out, with the fast, climate-controlled indoor courts helping to dilute the general rule in sports that unpredictable conditions like intense heat or wind, or a soggy field, improve the chances of an underdog. His performance last year in Turin even compares favorably with how he played in 2023, one of the best seasons of his remarkable career. He served better, hit his forehands more effectively and won even more of those battles from the baseline.   

The numerical differences might seem small. But keep in mind how thin the margins are in tennis matches between the best players, where a handful of points often become the difference between winning and losing. A percentage point or two of improvement can have a monumental impact on the outcome. 

Djokovic was in an attacking position on 25 per cent of his shots this season, which is two percentage points more than the tour average and one better than his competition in Turin this week. But in Turin last year he was even better, attacking on 27 per cent of his shots. 

The numbers say he has one of the most effective serves and the most effective forehands in the game this season. Last year in Turin, The TennisViz computer rated his serve quality an 8.7 on a scale of one to 10, compared with 8.1 for him this season, the same average rating of his upcoming opponents during the 2023 season. 

The TennisViz algorithm rated his forehands at 9.4 on that scale in Turin last year compared with 9.2 for him in all of 2023. His competition averages 8.4 this season. The average for the rest of the tour is 7.5.

Also, a tip to the other seven gentlemen vying for the year-end championship that they likely already knew but it bears repeating: do not get into a baseline battle with Djokovic. He won 57 per cent of those points in Turin last year, just as he did all season long this year. They win just 53 per cent. 

There are rays of hope for the competition. Both Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz have stolen points at a higher rate this season than Djokovic did last year in Turin and during all of 2023. 

The data suggests three players, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev, have served more effectively than Djokovic this season, and Jannik Sinner’s serve has improved markedly in recent months.

Four players, Tsitsipas, Rublev, Zverev and Holger Rune, have played a higher percentage of attacking shots this season than Djokovic. Unfortunately for them, they are not as efficient at converting that advantage into a winning point. 

Since they can’t hope for wind or heat, unless someone wants to take a sledgehammer to the Pala Alpitour air conditioning system, there’s always the chance something puts Djokovic in a bad frame of mind, which can affect his play, Annacone noted. 

Good luck with that. Few players are happier in Italy than Djokovic. Even in the era of Rafael Nadal, Djokovic has won the Italian Open on Rome’s red clay six times. 

“I connect well with the Italian crowd,” Djokovic said Sunday in Paris, after winning his 40th Masters 1000 tournament, the competitions just below the Grand Slams in the prestige stakes. “I’m going there with good feelings, with a lot of confidence. You know, I haven’t lost a match since the Wimbledon final.”

Yes. Everyone knows, especially the other seven men clutching rackets in Turin.

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(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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Matthew Futterman is an award-winning veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.”Before coming to The Athletic in 2023, he worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is currently writing a book about tennis, "The Cruelest Game: Agony, Ecstasy and Near Death Experiences on the Pro Tennis Tour," to be published by Doubleday in 2026. Follow Matthew on Twitter @ mattfutterman

Djokovic Advances To Nitto ATP Finals SFs; Sinner Wins Green Group

Novak Djokovic will compete in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals. The World No. 1 did not control his own destiny on Thursday evening, but Jannik Sinner defeated Holger Rune to put the Serbian through.

Sinner won the Green Group with a 3-0 record, earning victories against Stefanos Tsitsipas (who later withdrew from the event), Djokovic and Rune. Djokovic went 2-1, defeating Rune and alternate Hubert Hurkacz.

Had Rune defeated Sinner, Djokovic would have been eliminated. However, the Serbian is now two wins from claiming a record seventh Nitto ATP Finals title. Sinner is the first Italian to advance to the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals.

In the Red Group, Daniil Medvedev has qualified, but it has not yet been determined if he will finish first or second in the group. Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev both have an opportunity to qualify, while Andrey Rublev has been eliminated from contention. 

Singles Red Group qualification scenarios after the completion of the 2nd round of the event's group stage:

1) Regardless of score, if C. ALCARAZ defeats D. MEDVEDEV and A. RUBLEV defeats A. ZVEREV, then C. ALCARAZ wins the group and D. MEDVEDEV qualifies 2nd.

2) Regardless of score, if D. MEDVEDEV defeats C. ALCARAZ and A. RUBLEV defeats A. ZVEREV, then D. MEDVEDEV wins the group and C. ALCARAZ qualifies 2nd.

3) Regardless of score, if D. MEDVEDEV defeats C. ALCARAZ and A. ZVEREV defeats A. RUBLEV, then D. MEDVEDEV wins the group and A. ZVEREV qualifies 2nd.

4) If C. ALCARAZ defeats D. MEDVEDEV in 2 sets and A. ZVEREV defeats A. RUBLEV in 2 sets, then C. ALCARAZ wins the group and D. MEDVEDEV qualifies 2nd.

5) If C. ALCARAZ defeats D. MEDVEDEV in 2 sets and A. ZVEREV defeats A. RUBLEV in 3 sets, then C. ALCARAZ wins the group and D. MEDVEDEV qualifies 2nd.

6) If C. ALCARAZ defeats D. MEDVEDEV in 3 sets and A. ZVEREV defeats A. RUBLEV in 2 sets, then D. MEDVEDEV wins the group and C. ALCARAZ qualifies 2nd.

7) If C. ALCARAZ defeats D. MEDVEDEV in 3 sets and A. ZVEREV defeats A. RUBLEV in 3 sets, then D. MEDVEDEV wins the group and C. ALCARAZ qualifies 2nd.

See below for the doubles scenarios in the Red Group leading into the final day of round-robin action. 

Doubles Red Group qualification scenarios after the completion of the 2nd round of the event's group stage:

1) Regardless of score, if W. KOOLHOF / N. SKUPSKI defeat R. BOPANNA / M. EBDEN and R. RAM / J. SALISBURY defeat R. HIJIKATA / J. KUBLER, then R. RAM / J. SALISBURY win the group and W. KOOLHOF / N. SKUPSKI qualify 2nd.

2) Regardless of score, if W. KOOLHOF / N. SKUPSKI defeat R. BOPANNA / M. EBDEN and R. HIJIKATA / J. KUBLER defeat R. RAM / J. SALISBURY, then R. RAM / J. SALISBURY win the group and W. KOOLHOF / N. SKUPSKI qualify 2nd.

3) Regardless of score, if R. BOPANNA / M. EBDEN defeat W. KOOLHOF / N. SKUPSKI and R. RAM / J. SALISBURY defeat R. HIJIKATA / J. KUBLER, then R. RAM / J. SALISBURY win the group and R. BOPANNA / M. EBDEN qualify 2nd.

4) Regardless of score, if R. BOPANNA / M. EBDEN defeat W. KOOLHOF / N. SKUPSKI and R. HIJIKATA / J. KUBLER defeat R. RAM / J. SALISBURY, then R. RAM / J. SALISBURY win the group and R. BOPANNA / M. EBDEN qualify 2nd.

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Tabilo beats Djokovic in huge upset at Italian Open, two days after bottle accident

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