With strong support from the home crowd, Jannik Sinner won a dramatic victory over Novak Djokovic with a score of 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) and touched one hand on the ticket to the semi-finals of the ATP Finals 2023.
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| Jannik Sinner (right) and Novak Djokovic after the group stage match of the 2023 ATP Finals. (Source: AP) |
Sinner has risen to the top of the Green Group at the 2023 ATP Finals after a dramatic victory over Djokovic. The Serbian played well, hitting 20 aces, winning 81% of his first serve points (51/63), creating 46 winners and making 14 unforced errors.
Sinner's statistics were slightly worse than Djokovic's, with the Italian having 15 aces, a 79% first-serve winning percentage (56/71), 37 winners and 11 unforced errors.
However, Sinner successfully broke his opponent's two games, only losing one game and he had an impressive tie-break in the deciding set to win after 3 hours and 10 minutes. The defeat ended Djokovic's 19-match winning streak.
Sinner said of his performance against Djokovic: "It's part of the process. I felt a little more confident at certain points in the match. I think I was really brave and smart in the important moments, especially the third set.
We both serve well so there weren't many long balls, but when there were long balls we both played very well. It was a really top match."
The two players started the match impressively, both winning the first 3 games in their service games. In the 6th game, Sinner successfully saved a break-point. In the next game, it was Djokovic's turn to save a break-point. However, Sinner took advantage of the break-point in the 11th game, opening up a 7-5 victory.
There were very few mistakes from the players in the service games, in 12 games of the second set there was not even a break-point. In the tie-break, both players did not defend the points well. Djokovic lost 3 mini breaks, Sinner lost 4 mini breaks and Djokovic won 7-5.
In the deciding set, Sinner took a 4-2 lead after breaking in the sixth game, but Djokovic quickly reduced the deficit to 3-4 after successfully demanding a break in the seventh game. Not allowing mistakes to repeat themselves, the two players managed the remaining service games well and once again pushed the set into a tie-break.
Only Sinner defended his serve well, while Djokovic remained unstable - something the Serbian is not used to in decisive games. Winning three mini-breaks and losing only one, Sinner won 7-2 and closed out the match.
"I think the main difference was that in the important points he tried harder and was braver," Djokovic said of Sinner's victory.
"He deserved to win because in the important moments, I was not aggressive enough, not decisive enough. I gave him the opportunity to control the point. In game 11 of the third set, the score was 15-30, Sinner served second, I participated in a long rally and should have won the point but I couldn't, Sinner won the point.
I have to congratulate Sinner. He played a great match. That's what I said to him at the net. I think in the most important moments he played his best and he absolutely deserved to win."
Meanwhile, Sinner said of beating Djokovic for the first time in five meetings: "The win means a lot to me. When you win against the world number one, who has won 24 Grand Slams, it's obviously the best result of your career. I felt it was a tactical match and I won, so I'm very happy."
Djokovic still has a chance to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 ATP Finals. He will finish the group stage with a match against Hubert Hurkacz, the Polish player who will replace Stefanos Tsitsipas (who withdrew due to a back injury). Sinner will face Holger Rune in the final round in search of a third consecutive victory.
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