Novak Djokovic edges closer to Rafael Nadal as he wins ATP title No 90, plus other superb stats from final
Novak Djokovic was at his dominant best as he brushed aside Stefanos Tsitipas to win the Astana Open and move to an incredible 90 ATP Tour singles titles.
The 500 points he picked up also means he is now assured of playing in the season-ending ATP Finals for the 15th time in his career, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the line-up in Turin.
Djokovic started Sunday’s final on a hot streak as he was on a 16-match winning streak as he won Wimbledon in July and the Tel Aviv Open last week while he was also looking for his third title in as many tournaments and fourth of a disrupted season.
And he ticked those items off the list with a brutal 6-3, 6-4 drubbing in one hour and 15 minutes in Nur-Sultan.
The 21-time Grand Slam winner broke in game eight of the first set and in game five of the second set, but it was a much more emphatic win than the final score suggests.
Approach with CAUTION! 🤯@DjokerNole #AstanaOpen pic.twitter.com/XkLS0Q2whc
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 9, 2022
By winning Sunday’s match, Djokovic is now 17-0 in his last 17 matches, but he is still well short of his incredible 43-match winning streak over the 2010-2011 season, which is an all-time ATP record. He also enjoyed two 28-0 runs in 2015 and 2016-17.
“I could not ask for a better re-start of the season,” he said after the match. “I’m super-pumped and motivated to end the season as well as I have done these past couple of weeks.”
He has now won titles in 19th different countries.
A service masterclass from Djokovic
Djokovic was imperious on his serve as he dropped only seven points in total with four of those actually coming in the final game of the match.
– He had 10 service games and six of them were held to love
– He served only one ace with no double faults and landed 79% of his first serves
– He won 87% of points on his first serve (33/38) and won eight of 10 points on his second serve
Novak Djokovic hot on Rafael Nadal’s heels for most titles won
The Serbian remains fifth in the race for most singles titles won in the Open Era as he won his 90th ATP trophy, leaving him behind Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (103), Ivan Lendl (94) and Rafael Nadal (92).
If he continues his current form then he could draw level with Nadal by the end of the year as he is expected to play in the Paris Masters before bringing his season to an end ATP Finals in Turin.
What about beating Connors?
Djokovic was told during the trophy presentation that he probably never dreamed of winning 90 ATP Tour titles, but he replied: “I dared to dream, actually.
“I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career. Obviously, didn’t know the amount of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport.
“35 is not the same as 25. But I think the experience in this kind of big matches and bog occasions helps as well to approach mentally in a right way these kind of matches.”
READ MORE: Who is the best player in the world? The Novak Djokovic v Carlos Alcaraz debate
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