Novak Djokovic gives his verdict after stunning win over Stefanos Tsitsipas

ATP Tour
Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic was too strong for Stefanos Tsitsipas once again at the ATP Finals, with a win for the Serbian ending the Greek star’s hopes of finishing this year as world No 1.

Tsitsipas knew triumphing at the tournament in Turin and winning every match in the process would be enough to see him pip the injured Carlos Alcaraz to top spot in the rankings at the end of the season.

But Wimbledon champion Djokovic proved too strong yet again and recorded a 10th consecutive victory over Tsitsipas, winning 6-4 7-6 (4) to make the perfect start to the Red Group.

This result confirmed that Alcaraz will finish the season as the World No. 1 if Nadal does not clinch the trophy in Turin, yet Djokovic may well be teg best player in the world on current form.

It was another sparkling performance from the Wimbledon champion, who suggested he was in prime form after a performance that cemented his status as favorite to win the ATP Finals.

“The first game was very important to break his serve,” said Djokovic.

“Starting with a break of serve is obviously a huge boost in confidence and a relief as well because we both knew it would be a tight match.

“I knew that there’s probably going to be a lot of easy-won service games from both him and I because the conditions are such where there’s an altitude, it’s fast, it’s very difficult to return.

“We have played some really close matches in the past few tournaments against each other.

“It was very important to start off well. I held my serve really well throughout the match. I played a great tie-break, very solid all the way through.”

This sparkling performance from Djokovic backed up the belief that the Serbian’s current ATP ranking of No 8 does not offer an accurate reflection of his current status in the game.

After opting against taking a Covid vaccine, Djokovic missed out on the chance to play for around 10,000 ranking points in 2022, as he was blocked from playing at the Australian Open and the US Open, as well as four north American ATP 1000 events.

He was also denied the 2,000 ranking points he could have collected after winning Wimbledon, with the ATP taking points away from the tournament after the All England Club opted to ban Russia and Belarussian players due to the war in Ukraine.

Now Djokovic is aiming to end a troubled year on a high and on the evidence of his first match at the ATP Finals, he is ready to beat all-comers in Turin.

Novak Djokovic

Latest