With his sixth ATP Finals victory on Sunday, Novak Djokovic broke yet another record. He defeated hometown hero Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 in Turin, leaving tennis fans to wonder when he will give up his undisputed domination.
Djokovic entered the Finals after the conclusion of an incredible year that saw him win 40 Masters 1000 titles, three Grand Slams, and an all-time high of 24.
After capping an amazing season in which he also made it to the Wimbledon final, he will enter his 400th week at the top of the world rankings after defeating the legendary Roger Federer in the final match of the season.
With the Paris Olympics rapidly approaching and a gold medal the only significant title missing from his list of accomplishments, the 36-year-old proved that he still had plenty to give by defeating semi-finalist Carlos Alcaraz and the game’s two best young players, Sinner, in straight sets to take his record-breaking crown.
“Very special—without a doubt one of the best seasons of my life.” It is incredible to cap it off with a victory over Jannik, a hometown hero who has been playing incredible tennis all week, said Djokovic.
“I am extremely proud of the performances I have had over the past two days against Sinner and Alcaraz, who, aside from Medvedev and myself, are arguably the two best players in the world. I had to elevate my game because of the way they were playing.
Sinner appeared to be the ideal candidate to accomplish his goal of being the first Italian to win the Finals after his convincing victory over Djokovic in the group round.
However, just as Alcaraz in the semifinal match on Saturday, the 22-year-old was unable to manage Djokovic, a guy on a mission who reached his peak performance at the ideal moment in the competition.
Sinner, who has won four times this year, has made significant progress in the last year, as evidenced by the fact that at the end of the group stage, when a loss to Holger Rune would have forced the Serb to retire early, he was holding Djokovic’s tournament destiny in his hands.
