The backhand built an impenetrable brick wall.

Novak Djokovic defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday by relying heavily on his backhand to control the flow of points from the back of the court.

This was a defensive, old-school approach from Djokovic, who only went to the net five times and hit just 15 run-around forehands standing in the Ad court for the match. Djokovic invested heavily in his backhand, and after a rocky start, it paid dividends with his 40th ATP Masters 1000 crown.

Djokovic committed six errors in his first 13 backhand groundstrokes (excluding returns & volleys), as Dimitrov successfully attacked it with his slice backhands and aggressive run-around forehands. Djokovic said post-match that he thought both players were tight at the beginning of the match, but it was the Serbian who settled down the quickest.

Djokovic made his last 29 backhands of the opening set and cranked up the pressure on Dimitrov to basically have to hit winners to collect points. Overall, Djokovic hit more backhands than forehands for the match as he was content to build points through the Ad court and force Dimitrov to red line his game to win baseline exchanges.

DJOKOVIC GROUNDSTROKES

Total Shots
Backhands = 57% (101)
Forehands = 43% (76)

Winners
Backhands = 3 winners
Forehand = 2 winners

Errors
Backhands = 15
Forehands = 9

Forcing Opponent Errors
Backhands = 11 (5 forehand/4 backhand)
Forehands = 9 (8 forehand/1 backhand)

Djokovic’s master plan was to trade as many backhand blows as necessary through the Ad court to wear down Dimitrov’s one-hander. Djokovic hit a sizable 73 per cent of his backhands cross court, 10 per cent through the middle and just 17 percent down the line. Dimitrov, by comparison, only hit 60 per cent of his backhands cross court, 23 per cent through the middle and 17 per cent down the line.

Dimitrov may very well have felt comfortable rallying to Djokovic’s backhand through the Ad court, but it had the flow-on effect of reducing the number of aggressive forehands he could find. Dimitrov hit just 52 per cent forehands for the match (101 forehands/93 backhands), which was never going to get the job done.

Djokovic turned it into a defensive battle by primarily playing backhand to backhand and also by playing from deeper in the court. Dimitrov simply couldn’t find a way to go through, over, or around Djokovic’s proverbial brick-wall backhand.

RALLY HIT POINT COMPARISON

Shots Hit Inside The Baseline
Djokovic = 14%
Dimitrov = 19%

Shots Hit Within Two Metres Of The Baseline
Djokovic = 52%
Dimitrov = 67%

Shots Hit Past Two Metres
Djokovic = 34%
Dimitrov = 14%

The telling statistic is that Dimitrov could not take advantage of Djokovic’s very deep court position, where he contacted the ball over a third of the time (34%) past two metres behind the baseline. Dimitrov won a commendable seven of 10 points at the net, which begs the question: Why didn’t he go to the net twice or three times that amount to keep harvesting the superior winning percentage at the front of the court?

Dimitrov’s baseline woes also flowed over to his return game. Dimitrov only won six of 32 (19%) return points against Djokovic’s first serve and five of 16 (31%) against the Serbian’s second serve. Dimitrov failed to put a sizable 50 per cent of Djokovic’s first serves back in the court and failed to see a single break point for the match.

Djokovic often wins matches by bossing opponents to all points of the court. In this match, he went into lockdown mode by betting big on his backhand.

Novak Djokovic’s champion’s mentality was shown on Sunday after he won the Rolex Paris Masters. As happy as the Serbian was to claim his record-extending seventh title at the season’s ATP Masters 1000 event, he was clearly hungry for more.

“It’s great, but it’s already behind me. I’m very of course proud of the achievement but I’m already turning the next page. This is, fortunately or unfortunately, the way it works for me, and the way I think is the correct, so to say, mentality moving forward,” Djokovic said. “Because while I’m still active, I still want to win more and I still want to play at the highest level. Obviously Grand Slams and Masters events are the most valuable tournaments in our sport.

“So considering the circumstances I had in the last seven days, this win has more weight and more value and it’s extra sweet, particularly at this stage of my career. I don’t even know in which stage of my career I am anymore, but I think that every win in a big tournament, maybe the value is double nowadays.”

The 36-year-old won three consecutive three-setters to make the championship match, which he won against former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. The 40-time Masters 1000 champion was honest about how difficult it was to capture the trophy.

“A very challenging week. I think also off the court, dealing with the stomach virus that really took a lot of energy out of me, but somehow I managed to, I guess, find this extra energy when it was most needed, particularly in the days of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, where I was probably closer to losing these matches than winning,” Djokovic said. “So considering what happened in the last six, seven days, this win is definitely one of the most special wins in the Masters 1000 category.”

Djokovic explained that he is “feeling great” physically after working hard since his last appearance, which came in Davis Cup the week after he won the US Open.

“But it was this virus that was really the biggest opposition this week in terms of me feeling well on the court. That was something that is kind of outstanding, that is not something that I’m normally encountering,” Djokovic said. “So I had to deal with that along with my team. There was obviously 24 hours really focused on trying to get me recovered and prepared for the next match. It’s amazing that I was able to feel this way today, considering I had three days in a row, three matches of three hours, three-setters. I’m really happy for that.”

MAGNIFICENT 7⃣🏆@DjokerNole defeats Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 to seal a record-extending SEVENTH @RolexPMasters title!#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/sgCEaRd4ac

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 5, 2023

Despite not competing for a month and a half entering the tournament and the struggles he went through tournament, Djokovic once again found a way to emerge victorious. He has now won 18 consecutive matches and is 51-5 this season, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“People expect you to always be at your best, to be always reaching the finals, I mean in my case. I’m glad that that’s the case, that people kind of see me as one of the main favourites in every single tournament. But at the same time, we are also human beings that have to deal with different things off the court, whether it’s health-wise, emotions, or whatever is happening in your private life,” Djokovic said. “So all of it has an effect on how you feel on the court and how you perform. Yeah, I tried to do my very best this week and I think I have done under the circumstances. Did I play my best tennis? I don’t think I played my best tennis.

“In every match actually, my level was not to the level that I normally would play the biggest tournaments. But it’s one of those weeks where you just have to accept the circumstances and fight to survive another day.”

Djokovic did more than survive — he captured his 97th tour-level title. Now he will prepare for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he is a six-time champion. The Serbian is tied for the most trophies in tournament history with Roger Federer.

“I had the perfect score in Torino last year, five out of five matches. I like playing there. I think I connect well with the Italian crowd,” Djokovic said. “I’m going there with good feelings, with a lot of confidence. I haven’t lost a match since Wimbledon final, so I’m really excited to hopefully finish off the season on a high.”

Grigor Dimitrov’s disappointment at just missing out on the Rolex Paris Masters title on Sunday was plain to see. Yet the Bulgarian’s courtside tears were not necessarily just a reaction to his championship-match defeat to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“It’s difficult to explain emotions, I think,” said Dimitrov after Djokovic prevailed 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the French capital. “You want it. It’s tough when it doesn’t happen. Only I know, in a way, without feeling sorry for myself, what I’ve gone through the past months on and off the court.

“Those are happy tears. I don’t want to have them as something negative. I’m human, after all. At the end of the day, I think just the buildup, not only of the last two weeks, the last months of hard work and the big trip in China, everything has been kind of snowballing day after day, match after match.”

This moment 🥹@DjokerNole ❤️ @GrigorDimitrov @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/LwEtUDO8w2

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 5, 2023

Dimitrov was appearing in his first Masters 1000 final for six years, and his biggest championship match since his 2017 triumph at the Nitto ATP Finals. The 32-year-old has now gone six years without lifting a trophy, but he can still reflect on 2023 as a year of undoubted resurgence.

“Of course, in the end I was so close to making something that I wanted to do for such a long time,” said Dimitrov who racked up 41 tour-level wins this year, his highest tally since 2017. “I don’t want to have this as a goal, just to win the tournament, but it was just more of my mental and physical way that I was dealing with and through these past months.

“I’m not ashamed of [the tears]. It just happened. I’m sad. Of course, I’m sad that I lost. It’s never fun when you lose in a final. I think for me now, I have some time to reflect and move on.”

Dimitrov produced some of the best tennis of his career to reach the final in Paris, where he took out seeded opponents Daniil Medvedev, Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas inside Accor Arena. Djokovic proved a step too far for the Bulgarian, however, as the World No. 1 delivered a typically solid display to seal a record-extending seventh title in Paris-Bercy.

“I think today, specifically today, his depth was amazing on the ball,” reflected Dimitrov, who has won just one of his 13 Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes with the Serbian. “Even if he was not feeling physically at his best, he was able to put me in a very uncomfortable position and made me work for every shot. I also think my serve today didn’t work at all.

“Overall I was a little bit flat. That’s also my summary of the match. But of course, Novak in the final is probably one of the biggest achievements you can have in our sport, to beat him… When it comes to those clutch matches, he’s always been able to maximise his game, even if it’s not at his best, but he’s been able to maximise and put you in uncomfortable situations.

“On that end today, I think he executed a lot of points and games in a very good way.”

With his Paris run, Dimitrov will rise three spots to No. 14 in Monday’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings. It will be his highest position since he fell out of the Top 10 in November 2018, and the former World No. 3 is ready to build on his recent progress when he returns for the 2024 season.

“I want to make sure I capitalise on those moments,” said Dimitrov, who also reached a final in Geneva in May before semi-final runs in Washington, Chengdu and Shanghai. “This week again in quite a few matches, things could have turned completely different for me, but I was able to stay. I was able to be very good mentally and physically, as well, even though I was struggling with quite a few things.

“So all in all, there are a lot of positives that I can take from that. At the same time, I need to look at some of the things that I can improve, some of the things that I can come back and maybe do better. I feel there are very small details that I’m sure, if I improve a little bit, can make a very big change in my game.

“Of course in tennis, everyone is so competitive. [There are] a lot of good players, a lot of good competitors. How everything else will happen, we don’t know, but the one thing I want to feel is at the end of the tournament, whether I win or lose, I want to make sure I’ve left everything I have out there.”

Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert won his first tour-level singles match in more than 20 months on Sunday when he defeated his #NextGenATP countryman Arthur Cazaux 7-6(7), 6-4 in the first round of the Moselle Open.

Herbert, who is competing in Metz for the first time since 2019, had not won a tour-level singles match since February 2022 in Marseille. He will next play second seed Alex de Minaur.

“It was a tough match today against a very good opponent. He had an amazing year, so I knew I had to play a great match to be able to win,” Herbert said in his on-court interview. “For me, this win is quite special because I’ve not been playing this tournament for almost [four] years.

“I’ve had some difficult times so really, really happy. And being able to share that moment with this box is just amazing.”

World No. 372 Herbert, who has climbed as high as No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, saved the two break points he faced and won 79 per cent of his first-serve points to advance after one hour and 53 minutes.

After a trio of three-set battles to reach the final at the Rolex Paris Masters, Novak Djokovic carved a more straightforward path to victory Sunday when he eased past Grigor Dimitrov to claim a record-extending seventh title at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Djokovic delivered a typically resilient all-around performance to clinch a 6-4, 6-3 triumph and become the first player to win 40 Masters 1000 crowns. The Serbian’s consistency from the baseline gave Dimitrov few opportunities to rouse the level he had shown en route to the championship match, and a single break in each set was enough for Djokovic to wrap a 98-minute victory.

“[It’s] incredible. To be able to win it after quite challenging circumstances for me this week,” said Djokovic. “Basically, coming back from the brink of losing three matches in a row, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I was very close to losing those matches and somehow managed to find an extra gear when it was needed.

“Today, I think we both were quite tight at the beginning, and I could see that he was running out of gas a little bit. Myself as well, but I somehow managed to find an extra shot over the net. I think the match was closer than the scoreline indicates, but another amazing win for me. I’m very proud of this one, considering what I’ve been through this week.”

Just his 𝟗𝟕𝐓𝐇 career title! 😮‍💨

🏆 @DjokerNole 🏆 @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/HLZw3jHOrE

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 5, 2023

The win means World No. 1 Djokovic will now head to the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals on an 18-match winning streak, dating back to his Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. By lifting the Paris trophy, Djokovic extended his lead over the Spaniard in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin to 1490 points, making it highly likely he will claim the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour for a record-extending eighth time.

A tearful Dimitrov could not initially hide his disappointment after just falling short of his second Masters 1000 crown, and his first tour-level title since the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic took time to console the Bulgarian in his chair.

“I’ve been in these situations before many times, losing finals,” said Djokovic, when asked what he had said to the Bulgarian. “I’ve of course been blessed to win more finals than I’ve lost, and I really hope that he will continue to play at a high level. He’s been playing some of his best tennis this week, and I wish him all the best. I hope he can win big events.”

Dimitrov later reflected positively on his thrilling run to the final during the trophy ceremony: “I just wanted to say how grateful I am for this amazing week. It’s been such a rollercoaster the past three months for me. Getting to the final of this tournament means so much more than you guys can imagine. But also, it would not have been possible without you throughout the week [and your] support.”

After sealing his 10th straight tour-level win against Dimitrov, Djokovic now leads the Bulgarian 12-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Although the Bulgarian entered the match having played some of the best tennis of his career this week to down seeded opponents Daniil Medvedev, Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, he never looked like reproducing those heroics in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic pulled away from the Bulgarian following a cagey start to take the first set inside Accor Arena. The Serbian won 88 per cent (15/17) of points behind his first serve in a largely solid first-set display, and that dominance behind his delivery allowed Djokovic to hit freely on return. He clinched a decisive break in the seventh game as Dimitrov, who made a costly 19 unforced errors in the set, struggled to match the 36-year-old’s consistency from the baseline.

Although Dimitrov had forced Djokovic to Deuce in the final game of the first set, that was as close as the Bulgarian came to a breakthrough on return. Djokovic struck a decisive blow when he converted his first break point of the second set to move 3-2 ahead, and the Serbian did not flinch as he secured his 50th career win in Paris-Bercy having hit 15 winners, including six aces.

Novak Djokovic continues to rewrite the record books, extending his sizable ‘Big Titles’ advantage by winning the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday.

By defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the Paris-Bercy final, the Serbian claimed his 40th ATP Masters 1000 trophy, becoming the first player to reach that milestone.

Djokovic has now won 70 ‘Big Titles’, which is a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals. 

Djokovic has won one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.1 events played (70/217). Only three other players have claimed ‘Big Titles’ at a rate better than one for every five events played: Nadal (1/3.5), Federer (1/4.4) and Pete Sampras (1/4.9).

The 36-year-old has won the Rolex Paris Masters seven times, also a record. Having also emerged victorious in Cincinnati this year, he has earned multiple Masters 1000 titles in 12 seasons during his career.

Djokovic is tied for the most titles on the ATP Tour this season with six (also Carlos Alcaraz) according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 97-time tour-level titlist is three triumphs away from becoming the third player on record to reach 100 titles (Jimmy Connors, 109 and Federer, 103). 

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)

^ Includes Olympic Games gold medals and tournament participations
* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
*** Chang’s one Grand Slam title came before 1990

Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin extended their late-season winning streak to eight on Sunday to clinch the title at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The seventh-seeded duo defeated Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 6-2, 5-7, 10-7 to lift the trophy at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the French capital. Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin converted both break points they earned to claim victory, holding firm after dropping their first set of the week in the championship match in Paris.

“The set we lost, it’s totally my fault. I did a pretty bad game in the second set, but Santi helped a lot at the changeover,” said home favourite Roger-Vasselin. “[He said] ‘It’s OK, we’re just going to fight every point and enjoy the crowd’. For me it’s super special to win here in Paris, so I’m really thankful to Santi. He played amazing all week, and I’m really happy to win this trophy here.”

The franchise players ⭐️⭐️

The moment @gonzalezsanty & @ERogerVasselin locked up the doubles title in Paris, defeating Bopanna/Ebden 6-2, 5-7, 10-7!@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/e5lP9GGm0w

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 5, 2023

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin, who also lifted the trophy in Basel a week ago, defeated the second, third and fourth-seeded pairs en route to their second Masters 1000 crown of the year. The duo has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where the pair will enter the prestigious season finale on a high.

“The last two weeks were amazing, ending the year like this and now going to Turin with confidence,” said Gonzalez. “We are happy to win our second Masters title of this year, so we are very pleased about it and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin are now 51-21 in their first full season together on the ATP Tour. They became champions in Marseille, Miami and Los Cabos prior to their Basel and Paris triumphs, and will enter Turin in fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

The final ATP 250 action of 2023 takes place in Metz and Sofia, where a host of top stars line up at a pair of indoor hard-court events.

Alex de Minaur leads the field at the Moselle Open in Metz, where Karen Khachanov and Stan Wawrinka also feature in the draw. At the Sofia Open, Lorenzo Musetti, Adrian Mannarino and Jan-Lennard Struff are among the Top 30 players eyeing a successful end to the year.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN METZ
1) De Minaur Headlines Draw: Although his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes were ended by quarter-final defeat at the Rolex Paris Masters, De Minaur will aim to cap a strong year with a deep run in Metz. The Australian, who lifted the biggest title of his career in Acapulco in March, will take on one of two home wild cards first up — Pierre-Hugues Herbert or #NextGenATP Arthur Cazaux.

2) Humbert Leads Home Hopes: Five other Frenchmen (not including qualifiers/lucky losers) join Herbert and Cazaux in the Metz field. They are led by fourth seed Ugo Humbert, who is chasing his first match win at the event since 2018. Like his countryman Cazaux, Luca Van Assche is in contention to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals, and the 19-year-old will make his main-draw debut in Metz against Botic van de Zandschulp.

3) Khachanov, Bublik Seeded: Both Khachanov and Alexander Bublik have spent time in the ATP Tour winners’ circle this year. Seeded third in Metz, the Zhuhai winner Khachanov arrives fresh from a quarter-final run in Paris. Halle and Antwerp champion Bublik is the fifth seed.

4) Wawrinka, Thiem Eye Trophy: A pair of former World No. 3s seek a return to their title-winning ways in Metz. Both Wawrinka (Umag) and Dominic Thiem (Kitzbühel) have reached tour-level finals this year — can either player go all the way this week in north-eastern France?

5) Sonego Defends Crown: A year ago, Lorenzo Sonego charged to his third ATP Tour crown in Metz without dropping a set all week. The Italian is 6-5 at indoor events this year, but will hope that fond memories of the Moselle Open can help him rediscover his best form under the Metz roof.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SOFIA
1) Musetti Top Seed: Lorenzo Musetti has enjoyed another solid year, racking up a 32-27 record and reaching at least the quarter-finals at nine ATP Tour events. The Italian will look to add a third ATP Tour trophy to his collection as the top seed in Sofia, where he reached the semi-finals in 2022.

2) Mannarino On The March: Adrian Mannarino has notched a personal-best 39 tour-level wins this season, a tally that includes title runs in Newport and Astana. The 35-year-old Frenchman will hope to hit 40 and beyond this week in Bulgaria, where he made the last four in 2020 before falling to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.

3) Can Top 30 Stars Claim Late-Season Boost?: Jan-Lennard Struff came within one point of claiming his maiden ATP Tour title in Stuttgart in July. The German has one more chance this year to break his trophy duck when he lines up as the third seed in Sofia. After adding the Cordoba, Kitzbühel and Winston-Salem crowns to his collection in 2023, Sebastian Baez is now a four-time tour-level champion. Can the Argentine make it five in Bulgaria?

4) Former Champion Bautista Agut: After missing nearly three months due to injury from July to October, Roberto Bautista Agut made his return to ATP Tour action in Stockholm three weeks ago. The Spaniard is the only former champion in the field in Sofia, where he claimed the fourth of his 11 tour-level crowns in 2016.

5) Gille/Vliegen Lead Doubles Field: Belgian duo Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen chase their third ATP Tour title of the season as the top seeds in Sofia. Despite narrowly missing out on a Nitto ATP Finals spot, second seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow have also enjoyed a stellar year, lifting four ATP 250 titles together.