Novak Djokovic’s fate in the Nitto ATP Finals was out of his hands when Holger Rune played Jannik Sinner in the final Green Group match. Had Rune won, the Dane would have made the semi-finals and Djokovic would have been eliminated. When Sinner won that match in three sets, Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic, had full confidence in his charge.

“I have to thank Jannik a little bit that he gave us a little help and push for him to be in the semi-finals. But I knew as soon as he got into the semi-final, he’s going to win the tournament,” Ivanisevic said. “The mentality changed. The new Novak Djokovic arrived on the court from Saturday. When real Novak Djokovic arrives on the court, then [in that] moment [there] is nobody that can play with him.”

Djokovic went 2-1 in round-robin play and needed three sets in all three of his matches. But facing World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals and the player who defeated him in group play, Sinner, for the title, the Serbian found a new gear.

The 36-year-old did not lose more than three games in a set against either man en route to his record seventh Nitto ATP Finals title. Ivanisevic knew right away his mentality had shifted.

“I can see in his eyes, in his approach when he comes to the small locker room, when he comes to the practice court. Warm-up was different. Warm-up was positive. When he entered the court against Alcaraz the first time this week, he was from the first point pumping himself [up], pumping his fist. He was very positive in a way,” Ivanisevic said. “Even if Alcaraz didn’t play unbelievable tennis — he was missing a lot for his standards — even if Alcaraz plays with the left hand, you couldn’t beat him 6-3, 6-2.

“You could see in his eyes. It’s very tough to beat Novak twice in one week in the same tournament. Today was a completely different match, completely different. Tactically Novak played completely different than on Tuesday.”

That does not mean the week was easy. In fact, Ivanisevic revealed that for a while Djokovic’s team did not hear from the World No. 1 after he lost to Sinner.

“It’s not easy to deal with him when he’s losing the match. On Tuesday night, he finished late. On Wednesday we didn’t see him at all. Until Thursday we didn’t know what’s happening, to be honest,” Ivanisevic said. “We were in the room. We didn’t know if we are going home, if we are going to the warm-up against Hurkacz. We were sitting, sitting. We finally find out that he’s going to play.”

Djokovic found imperious form in the knockout stage. He did not lose serve against Alcaraz or Sinner, saving all six break points he faced against them combined. According to Ivanisevic, the 98-time tour-level champion is always on the quest for a higher level.

“It’s very tough to improve with him,” Ivanisevic said, cracking a smile. “But he wants to improve. That’s the good thing and bad thing for me as a coach and the rest of the team. I think he improved a lot his volleys, his game at the net, and his position at the net. Now when he comes to the net — OK, today he missed some easy volleys — but generally this week and this year he plays some amazing volleys.

“His position at the net is a lot better. It’s very tough to pass him. Before he was very easy to pass. Now he knows what he’s doing at the net. He’s comfortable at the net. In the final of the US Open he played two, three [very] important volleys against Medvedev. He’s not afraid to come to the net. He’s hitting the forehands much, much harder. He’s going for the shots. Serving, I think second serve, sometimes he’s hitting over 200 [kph]. He’s just going for it.”

Jannik Sinner thrilled his home fans with his run to the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals, but the Italian fell short against Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s championship round. Despite the defeat in Turin, the 22-year-old was upbeat in his post-match press conference.

Sinner was full of praise for his opponent while stepping back to look at the big picture in terms of his own game and development.

“I think today [Djokovic] played really, really good, especially in the back of the court,” said Sinner. “But I think today I was not that sharp in certain moments. I felt like also that I dropped this little bit physically. When you drop a little bit against the best player in the world, he makes it look like it’s a big difference.”

Earlier in the week, Sinner defeated Djokovic on the way to a perfect group-stage record. But the Serbian was a different proposition on Sunday, when he brought his best form in a near-flawless serving performance.

“Tennis is interesting because, as you can see, every day is different,” Sinner said. “Some days [ago] I won against him. Here the same conditions again and you lose.

“But I think generally today I saw that I still have to improve, for sure. I believe that he makes me a better player, like all the other players have done who I lost to. I now have to work on this.”

Continuing to look forward, Sinner was upbeat when analysing the state of his tennis.

“I think there are many positive things, to be honest,” he said. “I think, especially the second half of the year, mentally I was much, much stronger. I was not complaining so much on court when things were going in the wrong way. I think these kind of things, they make difference sometimes…

“One of the things where I can be really happy is that I played many, many important matches in the biggest stadiums we have throughout the whole year. This is something what’s hopefully can help for the next season.”

With the Davis Cup Finals still to come this season, Sinner owns a 61-15 tour-level record on the year with titles in Montepellier, Toronto, Beijing and Vienna. Dating back to his Beijing run, the Italian is 17-3 in his past 20 matches — a run which ensured he will finish 2023 at a career-high of No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Novak Djokovic delivered a masterclass to defeat home favourite Jannik Sinner on Sunday in the Nitto ATP Finals title match. After a peerless performance, the 36-year-old now stands alone with a record seven crowns at the season finale.

The Serbian was at his very best in a 6-3, 6-3 win against the Italian, losing just two points in his first seven service games to surge ahead and then expertly navigating a tense close to the one-hour, 43-minute match.

Djokovic was beaten by home favourite Sinner in the group stage but emphatically turned that result around in the final — a feat he also accomplished against Roger Federer at the 2015 season finale. Eight years later, the World No. 1 has broken a tie with the Swiss for most titles at the Nitto ATP Finals.

In the opening set against Sinner, Djokovic won 20 of 22 service points and landed 73 per cent of his first serves. He needed just 38 minutes to claim a quick-strike set.

Two loose errors from Sinner handed Djokovic the lone break of the set in its fourth game — though replays showed the miss that brought up break point clipped the baseline. Sinner did not challenge. The Serbian made just two unforced errors in the opener, with none off his forehand wing.

Sinner worked hard to give the Italian crowd something to cheer about, but Djokovic has had the answers at every turn in a ruthless start to the match. Lengthy rallies were few and far between in the first hour of the match, with Djokovic playing so many points on the front foot behind pinpoint serving.

The volume in the Pala Alpitour turned up when Sinner clawed his way to 15/40 for a chance to level the second set at 3-3. Sinner created his first break points by taking some big baseline cuts, aided by a brief dip from Djokovic, but the Serbian recovered with three big serves — two of them unreturned on the break points — and a well-constructed point dominated by his forehand to hold for 4-2.

Sinner then fought through eight deuces to stay within touching distance after a 16-minute hold, and he flipped the pressure back to his opponent by opening up 0/30 for the second straight return game. But again Djokovic responded, and he fittingly closed out the crucial hold with his 13th ace of the match.

It would be the Serbian’s final serve of the championship, as a Sinner double fault ended the match in the next game.

By handing Sinner his first defeat this year in Turin, Djokovic improved to 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head. The 22-year-old is was the first Italian to reach the Nitto ATP Finals title match but was denied in his bid to become the youngest year-end champion since Stefanos Tsitsipas (21) in 2019.

Djokovic is now 7-2 in the Nitto ATP Finals title round, with trophies in 2008, 2010-11, 2014-15 and 2022-23. His reward for his latest triumph will be a record-extending 400th week atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings beginning on Monday. Earlier in the tournament, Djokovic extended another precious record by clinching his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.

Novak Djokovic punctuated another memorable year on Sunday by etching his name in the history books once again.

The 36-year-old defeated Jannik Sinner in Turin on Sunday for his record-breaking seventh Nitto ATP Finals title. The Serbian had shared the tournament record with Roger Federer (6 titles).

It also marked his 71st ‘Big Title’, 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 owns the standalone record for championships at Grand Slams (24), Nitto ATP Finals (7) and ATP Masters 1000s (40).

Six of the ATP Tour-leading seven trophies Djokovic has earned this year have been ‘Big Titles’. It is the most he has claimed in a season since 2016. Of the titles Djokovic has won, more than 72 per cent of them have been ‘Big Titles’. 

Djokovic has won one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.1 events played (71/218). The player closest to him in winning rate at these events is Rafael Nadal, who has won one for every 3.5 tournaments played.

The World No. 1 is now a 98-time tour-level titlist. Djokovic will now turn his attention to becoming the third player to eclipse the 100-titles mark, joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger 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

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek have earned Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honours for the first time.

The Croatian-American duo, which teamed for the first time last year, enjoyed a banner 2023 campaign to finish atop the standings.

Dodig said: “This year was an amazing year for me and Austin. We won five tournaments this year, one Grand Slam, a Masters [1000] and three 500 tournaments. We had a great year, played very consistent. All the hard work we put this year, it’s just amazing to finish the year as the number one team and really proud and happy about that. Actually it was one of my best years, even though I’m already for the ninth time in the [Nitto ATP Finals]… I was always playing consistent, was always Top 10 in the world in doubles. But this is something special. This was my goal since I started a couple of years back to only focus on doubles. And now I’m number one as a team.”

Krajicek said: “It’s an amazing feeling for sure. Obviously a tough end of the year for us at the Finals, but it really was a special year, the whole year. It’s a cool feeling. It’s hard to put into words. It’s pretty cool to be able to finish as the number one team and know that the hard work you put in all year, all the ups and downs and tough losses and really special wins we’ve had this year came together at the end there and pretty cool to be able to finish the year number one. It’s something that we can always be proud of and look back on, so we’re super excited about that.”

Dodig and Krajicek won their first Grand Slam championship together at Roland Garros one year after reaching the championship match in Paris. It was one of five titles they won this season, tied for the most on the ATP Tour among doubles teams with Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

The year-end No. 1 duo claimed all five of its titles at or above the ATP 500 level. Dodig and Krajicek also triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo and ATP 500 tournaments in Rotterdam, London/Queen’s Club and Beijing.

Finishing 2023 with a 39-15 record, 38-year-old Dodig and 33-year-old Krajicek also made finals at ATP Masters 1000 Miami, Adelaide-2 and Eastbourne, and advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open.

“Hopefully still some more years to come and still a good time ahead of me but happy with this one,” Dodig said. “And together with my partner we really put all the work. And I think we both deserve this one. We played through the year very consistent. We won a lot of big matches, a lot of big tournaments and in the end a few hundred points decided who was going to be number one and this time happened for us and really happy about that.”

Dodig and Krajicek were the top seeds at the Nitto ATP Finals, where they won one match in Green Group action, which ultimately secured their year-end No. 1 finish.

As an individual, Krajicek climbed to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings in June for the first time. He also finishes the season in top spot. Dodig ascended to a career-high World No. 2 in September.

“We couldn’t do it without our team. I think we’ve got a special group of people around us. Both of our families at home, wives that put up with us traveling like maniacs all year long and then coaches, my coach Philip Farmer, our physio, Tom, and and then Ivan’s brother,” Krajicek said. “Just a special group of people that all year keeps us level-headed and being able to push through the hard times. I think without them it’s not possible. So I also just would say that it comes with a special group to make it possible.”

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury ended their late-season surge in spectacular fashion on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The American-British duo downed Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4 to successfully defend their title at the prestigious season finale in Turin. Ram and Salisbury delivered a rock-solid all-around performance to wrap a 69-minute triumph and extend their winning streak inside the Pala Alpitour to 10 matches.

“I don’t know what to say, to be honest,” said Ram after the match. “We love this place. This is the biggest tournament we play on the ATP calendar all year and to win it twice in a row is something I never would have thought of and I’m so proud of.”

Salisbury added: “I think we’ve got better throughout the week. I think that was our best match, maybe along with the semi-final yesterday. I think we’ve served well and not got broken many times. We did that really well and managed to take the few chances we had today. I think we got a little bit of luck as well, but it seems like we get it in this place.”

They love Turin 🫶@RajeevRam 🏆 @joesalisbury92 #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Hw1r307K5H

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 19, 2023

Prior to the US Open, Ram and Salisbury had endured a modest season by their standards. They held a 20-16 record on the year heading into the season’s final major and were 16th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Since the start of their New York campaign, however, the pair roared back to form. They won 17 of the 19 tour-level matches in that period, clinching the title at Flushing Meadows for the third consecutive year before becoming champions in Vienna and reaching the semi-finals in Paris. After their Turin triumph, Ram and Salisbury will end the year in third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

“We definitely didn’t have a great first half of the year, and sometimes you need a bit of a shock, some tough times, to kind of kick you into gear and get you back to knowing what you were doing well, and how you were winning,” Salisbury later told ATPTour.com. “We managed to do that and we’ve kept it going for a little bit, which is nice.”

The sixth seeds certainly played like a team full of confidence on Sunday afternoon as they used the pace of the Pala Alpitour court to their advantage with some razor-sharp returning. A Ram return winner against Granollers’ serve on a deciding point clinched the only break of the first set in the fourth game, and they broke through against the Spaniard’s delivery again for a 4-3 lead in the second before serving out for victory.

“I think the conditions are one thing, but we seem to be able to play some of our best tennis at the biggest events, and this is one of the biggest events we have,” said Ram. “I think that’s also part of it. We really get up for it, we really try and peak for these ones and we’re really proud of that achievement actually.”

Defeat on Sunday for Granollers and Zeballos also confirmed Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek as the Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone winning team. Spaniard Granollers and Argentine Zeballos could have made a last-ditch jump to claim the coveted honour but needed to lift the trophy to overhaul Croatian Dodig and American Krajicek.

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

Juan Carlos Ferrero accompanied Carlos Alcaraz to the Spaniard’s press conference after he bowed out to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals. Sitting on the floor of the press-conference room in the Pala Alpitour, the former World No. 1 listened as his charge offered a self-critique of his loss to the Serb, while also speaking with pride about the best year of his career.

“It’s been a spectacular year,” said Alcaraz. “You have to realise that I picked up 2000 more points than the previous year but played one fewer Grand Slam. I didn’t play in Australia, and it was still my best season. It was incredible, I played some great matches. I’ve improved little by little and also learned how to deal with the pressure, and with difficult moments.”

“On balance it’s been extremely good,” reflected Ferrero, the 20-year-old’s coach, later. “As long as you improve on your previous season, it is good on balance. This year we won the Grand Slam we were least expecting [Wimbledon], and it was a pleasant surprise. And he picked up about 2000 more points without playing in the Australian Open. That says a lot about the effort he’s made at every tournament to build and keep pushing.”

JAW-DROPPING 🤯

Just an insane level between @carlosalcaraz & @DjokerNole!!! #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Qgy6nAsIMR

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 18, 2023

However, Alcaraz and Ferrero are on the same page in their analysis of the final stretch of 2023. After losing his US Open semifinal to Daniil Medvedev, the two-time Grand Slam champion struggled to keep going.

“A few days ago I read an interview in which Juan Carlos said that I had to learn that the season is from January to November,” confessed Alcaraz. “That couldn’t be more true. Maybe I struggled to handle the last part of the season. As I said, I have so many things to improve on, and that’s one of them. Learning that a tennis player’s season doesn’t end in June, August and September, it carries on until November.”

Ferrero added: “After the US Open, our level dropped a little and in that regard, we have to improve. We have to focus more on being professional all the time. We know what we have to improve in his game and psychology. That is normal for a 20-year-old, and he needs to mature in that area. He tends to be hard on himself, which is something that we all think is great. We like it.

“To be a great professional, you have to stay on top of every aspect. You have to do what is necessary at all times; train at the right time, enjoy yourself at the right time, and disconnect at the right time. He has to improve on certain things, which he knows, and he is trying.”

Alcaraz’s defeat to Djokovic means he ends 2023 with a haul of six titles, including Wimbledon and the ATP Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Madrid. The Spaniard played 77 matches in the year (65-12), but the World No. 2 would have liked to have ended the season with more under his belt.

“I don’t think that’s a lot,” said Alcaraz. “I think I’m one of the players who has played the fewest tournaments, although probably one of the ones with the most matches. The statistic is good, but the truth is that I would have liked to finish with more matches. That would have meant reaching the latter rounds in the events at the end of the season.”

Ferrero concurred: “Along with a couple of others, he is the player who has played least throughout the year. It’s difficult to play less. If you’re very good, you’ll play many more matches for a long time. You have to realise that and be professional about it, know what your job is and accept it. For me, it’s a very good season. I think he has again taken a small step to grow his game, and in his maturity, but he’s still 20 and has to continue with the process of improving.”

Novak Djokovic had little to nitpick about his game Saturday evening after dismissing World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 for a place in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match.

“One of the best matches of the year in these circumstances playing probably the biggest rival I had this year, Carlos. We had some epic matches. Actually, all three matches we played this year were marathon matches that went the distance,” Djokovic said. “I think everyone expected, including probably both of us, that we were going to have a long night, a big fight, a long match.

“I just managed to I guess step it up. When I broke his serve at 4-3 in the first set, played a really flawless match until the end of the match. Played great tennis, high level, put a lot of pressure on his service games, made him play. I served really well when I needed to.”

Djokovic needed three hours and 49 minutes to defeat the 20-year-old in the Cincinnati final. But by playing what he called “one of the best matches of the year”, the Serbian faced much less difficulty at the Pala Alpitour.

“Couldn’t be coming at a better time for me, considering that I maybe wasn’t playing my best tennis in the first three group stages, matches of the group stages,” Djokovic said. “But tonight I played close to my very, very best.”

In response to a question about similarities between Alcaraz and his countryman Rafael Nadal, Djokovic made his stance clear.

“They are different players. In terms of the maybe great occasion and the feeling of the intensity on the court that he brings, yeah, there is some similarity. But he’s a completely different player from Rafa,” Djokovic said. “He’s one of the most complete players that I [have] ever faced in my career. It’s quite impressive for his age that he’s able to play consistently well for now several years already, and he’s the youngest-ever No. 1 in the world that we [have] had.

“A brilliant career already, and I think it’s quite obvious that he’s going to have a brilliant career full of success in the years to come. He’s still very, very young. But, yeah, he does bring the best out of me. He makes me prepare for the match as best that I possibly can.”

Djokovic will hope to do the same on Sunday when he tries to earn revenge against Jannik Sinner for his loss earlier in the week. The Serbian can break his tie with Roger Federer for most titles in tournament history by winning his seventh trophy.

“Ended up the year as No. 1 in the world, reached really all the objectives that I had, broke many records, made history of the sport. Of course, I’m thrilled with the season,” Djokovic said. “But one more match to go. Hopefully I can crown the season with another win.”