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.”

Carlos Alcaraz struck Novak Djokovic on the wrong night. And on the wrong court.

As the Spaniard and the capacity crowd inside Turin’s Pala Alpitour expected another epic showdown to match their clashes in the Wimbledon and Cincinnati finals, Djokovic played what he described as ‘one of the best matches of the year’ in their Nitto ATP Finals semi-final, which the Serb won 6-3, 6-2.

Alcaraz saw two break point chances at 15/40 in the opening game but he could not convert. Djokovic gambled with two bold second serves during the game to get out of trouble, sending a clear signal of intent that set the pattern of the night.”

“He plays the same level during the whole match. The shot quality he has is unbelievable,” Alcaraz said. “He plays really, really deep. It’s really difficult to take advantage from that. Once again, he has shown why he’s the best player in the world.

The Turin debutant also noted that his lack of indoor hard court experience, especially when matched against that of Djokovic, a seven-time champion in Paris and six-time champion at the season finale, was telling.

“I feel like I am not in his level in indoor court obviously. I’ve played great matches in Wimbledon, in Cincinnati, in Roland Garros. I felt in that match that I’m in the level… Obviously he has more experience than me playing in these tournaments, in these courts.”

Alcaraz had a mixed night on serve. He fired 10 aces and put 84 per cent of first serves into play, but he only won a modest 62 per cent of first-serve points as Djokovic brought his best return game. The Spaniard won just three of nine second serves.

In contrast, Djokovic won 81 per cent of first-serve points and 56 per cent of second-serve points.

“It’s not about just serving against him. He has a great return game,” Alcaraz said. “Unbelievable, I’m going to say. As I said, he push you to a limit in every ball, every shot.

“Probably I played great points, but it was like one great point, then three, four points just mistakes. First ball went out, something like that. Against a player like Novak, you cannot do that.”

Although he was unable defend his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone, finishing No. 2 behind Djokovic after missing the Australian Open through injury was still an impressive feat. The 20-year-old won six titles to add to the five he won in 2022, including Wimbledon and ATP Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Madrid.

Projecting to 2024, when he looks forward to returning to Melbourne Park, Alcaraz said, “This match help me a lot coming into the pre-season. Right now I know all the things I have to improve if I want to be there, if I want to beat the best player in the world.

“With Juan Carlos [Ferrero], we have to talk about the pre-season, what we have to practise, what we have to do. Obviously, I’ll rewatch the match to see my weakness, just to improve it and be a better player.

“I will forget all the matches that I played against him, the Wimbledon final, the Cincinnati, Roland Garros, and I’m going to focus on this match because I felt like I have to improve a lot of things if I want to stay at his level.”

Some of the biggest celebrities in the world have performed at the Pala Alpitour, from Bob Dylan and Madonna to U2 and Rihanna. But nobody rocks the 2006 Olympics venue like Jannik Sinner.

“Ole! Ole, Ole, Ole! Sinner! Sinner!”

The chants have shaken the facility for the past week as the Italian has taken the Nitto ATP Finals by storm to become the first Italian to reach the final at the event. In the bowels of the arena, the constant vibrations caused by the crowd have felt more like what you would expect from a rock concert than a tennis match.

Sinner is so popular around these parts that one of the streets that runs next to the Pala Alpitour is lined with dozens of Nitto ATP Finals banners sporting his image. It feels like this is the Italian’s moment to step into the sun and become even more of a national icon than he already is.

But after earning four impressive wins in Turin, Sinner has one major obstacle in front of him. Five days after winning a scintillating showdown against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, he will need to do it again to capture the biggest trophy of his career.

“It doesn’t really matter the matches before, how they have been. Especially with this format, you can win against one, but after you can lose. It’s different,” Sinner said. “But still happy that I can go one more time on the court here in Turin. Good atmosphere. Hopefully I can show some good tennis.”

Sinner played some of the best tennis of his career on Tuesday against Djokovic, whom he defeated 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in a gripping clash of wills that lasted more than three hours. The home favourite rode his supporting crowd’s energy to victory with an emphatic close.

Watch Sinner vs Djokovic Round-Robin Highlights:

Djokovic entered the final-set tie-break with a sensational 30-7 record in tie-breaks this season. It has become a given that when it matters most, the Serbian finds a gear in which he makes no mistakes and squeezes the fight out of his opponents.

But in one of the biggest moments of his life, Sinner rose to the occasion. Djokovic has neutralised many powerful ball-strikers in his career, but the 22-year-old was brave enough to keep firing and take what proved an unassailable 5/0 lead, stunning the six-time Nitto ATP Finals champion.

So many times Djokovic has dug out of deep holes — and he had rallied from a break down earlier in the final set — but his 19-match winning streak was over and his hopes of reaching the semi-finals nearly were, too.

“You have to just congratulate him. He just played a fantastic match. That’s what I told him at the net,” Djokovic said at the time. “I think in the most important moments, he played his best game and he absolutely deserved to win.”

When asked about the possibility of facing Sinner again at the end of the week, Djokovic brushed it off, saying “very long way to that”. And he was right. Had Holger Rune defeated Sinner in the last match of Green Group play, Djokovic would have been eliminated from the tournament.

Instead, after Sinner ousted World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in Saturday’s first semi-final and Djokovic dispatched World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, the 36-year-old will get his chance at revenge.

The 36-year-old will attempt to become the third player in six years to avenge a group defeat in the championship match. Alexander Zverev reversed group losses to Medvedev (2021) and Djokovic (2018) to win the title match. Djokovic has accomplished the feat once before, rebounding from a group loss to Roger Federer to take the 2015 title.

The 97-time tour-level champion, who will reach 400 weeks atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings next Monday, will be fully motivated to break his tie with Federer for the most titles in Nitto ATP Finals history.

Despite his loss to Sinner earlier in the week, the World No. 1 carries a 3-1 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry. And since it was this year’s Toronto champion who triumphed Tuesday, the burden will be on the 22-year-old to defend his victory.

The only thing more difficult than climbing the highest mountain is preventing someone from knocking you off the summit. Will the pride of Italy be able to hold off Djokovic again?

Sinner has shown that he is not afraid of pressure. From a young age, he has thrived under it. In 2019, he captured the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM title in Milan. Since losing in the Wimbledon semi-finals to Djokovic he has won eight consecutive matches against Top 10 opponents.

Sinner will also try to harness the support of the home crowd, including the Carota Boys, who have become a revelation themselves. Several fans in the crowd Saturday wore orange shirts or even reflective orange vests to show their support.

But on the world’s biggest stages, Djokovic has always used fans cheering for his opponent to his advantage. Knowing the Serbian, he will on Sunday not hear “Ole! Ole, Ole, Ole! Sinner! Sinner!” but “Ole! Ole, Ole, Ole! Novak! Novak!”

As far as the tennis itself goes, there was not a lot to differentiate between Djokovic and Sinner in their round-robin clash. They each won 109 points and Djokovic actually won a higher rate of first-serve points and second-serve points.

“I don’t think I’ve done too many things wrong in terms of my game,” Djokovic said.

It was simply that his fellow former skiing sensation summoned his best tennis when it mattered most. He has not allowed the defeat to affect his own game since, thrashing Alcaraz for the loss of only five games on Saturday.

Will Sinner be able to rise again to prevent history and make his own, or will the all-time great earn his revenge? 

“He’s been playing fantastic tennis, arguably his best tennis of his life on this stage against Top 10 players,” Djokovic said. “We played 7-6 in the third, very close match the other night. Atmosphere was unbelievable, I mean electric, obviously. I don’t expect anything less than that, probably even louder than what we had in the group stage matchup.

“So it’s finals. I’ve been in this situation before many times. I’m really happy with the way I’m feeling, the way I’m playing, so hopefully I can deliver my A game tomorrow.”

Novak Djokovic capped a year of tense battles with Carlos Alcaraz in style Saturday at the Nitto ATP Finals, where the World No. 1 powered to a 6-3, 6-2 semi-final victory against the Spaniard.

Djokovic was at his rock-solid best throughout the 88-minute encounter in Turin to notch his third win in four Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes with Alcaraz this year. The Serbian offered few attacking opportunities to his powerful opponent by consistently striking deep and clinched a break of Alcaraz’s serve in each set to set a championship-match meeting with home favourite Jannik Sinner.

“After spending a lot of time on the court in the first three matches, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel tonight,” said Djokovic. “This year I wasn’t maybe as sharp in the second and third group matches, particularly, but I think tonight from the very beginning I felt the ball well.

“I approached the match with the right attitude, the right mentality, and I knew from the very first point it was going to be greatly intense. He had break points right away, 15/40 in the first game. That’s Carlos. He always brings out his best in these kinds of matches and starts with a lot of high quality tennis and intensity. You’ve got to match that, try to weather the storm, and I did that.”

NOVAK. DJOKOVIC. @DjokerNole | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/daUY8787Pi

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 18, 2023

Djokovic and Alcaraz’s previous meetings this year include the Spaniard’s stunning five-set win in the final at Wimbledon, and Djokovic saving match point to prevail in the Cincinnati championship match. The latest rendition of the rivalry never quite hit those levels of drama, however, as Djokovic clinically took his chances to triumph in the pair’s maiden meeting indoors.

Despite sending down plenty of big serves, including 10 aces, Alcaraz struggled to keep control behind his delivery. He won just 62 per cent (29/47) of points on first serves, an indication of how dialled in Djokovic was on return.

With his win, Djokovic moved within one match of becoming champion at the prestigious season finale for a record seventh time. The 36-year-old went 2-1 in group play in Turin, where his only defeat came against his next opponent: Sinner. The clash of a Nitto ATP Finals master with an in-form home favourite promises to be a blockbuster ending to the week in Turin.

“He’s been playing fantastic tennis, arguably the best tennis of his life,” said Djokovic of Sinner. “On this stage, against Top 10 players. We played, 7-6 in the third, a very close match the other night. The atmosphere was unbelievable, electric really. I don’t expect anything less than that, probably even louder than what we had in the group-stage matchup.

“It’s the final, I’ve been in this situation before many times. I’m really happy with the way I’m feeling, the way I’m playing, so hopefully I can deliver my A game tomorrow.”

Djokovic will be attempting to become the third player in six years to avenge a group defeat in the championship match. Alexander Zverev reversed group losses to Daniil Medvedev (2021) and Djokovic (2018) to win the title match. Djokovic has accomplished the feat once before, rebounding from a group loss to Roger Federer to take the 2015 title.

Saturday night’s match did not start smoothly for Djokovic, who immediately found himself 15/40 down on serve in the opening game. Perhaps wary of Alcaraz’s power, the Serbian gambled with big second serves in a bid to escape, and it paid off as he won four straight points to hold.

A first set of narrow margins was ultimately decided in the eighth game, when Djokovic raised his level on return to claim a crucial break before serving out to love.

Despite sending down plenty of big serves, Alcaraz struggled to hit through Djokovic’s defences with any regularity on the fast Pala Alpitour court. The Serbian had opened a 3-2 lead with a break in the second set before Alcaraz began to find joy with some trademark big hitting, but Djokovic again rallied from 15/40 to hold for 4-2 before marching to victory.

“I served well in important moments and the match shifted when it was 4-3 and I broke with new balls,” said Djokovic. “He missed a couple of backhands, and it gave me the break. From that moment I really played flawless tennis.”

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury moved to within one win of successfully defending their Nitto ATP Finals crown on Saturday when they defeated Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, ending the fourth seeds Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone hopes.

As they have done throughout their time together, the American-British pair came up with big shots in big moments, finding first serves and penetrating returns to triumph 7-6(5), 3-6, 10-7 after one hour and 50 minutes.

Ram and Salisbury have now won their past nine matches in Turin, having lifted the trophy at the year-end event 12 months ago. They will aim to make it 10 and successive crowns when they play Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the final.

“It is amazing,” Salisbury said. “I can’t quite believe it. We have had some really tough matches this week. We have not always played our best but we managed to come through and it feels that there is something speical playing here. It is amazing to play in another final here tomorrow.”

Earlier this season, the American-British team won their third consecutive US Open crown, while they won tour-level events in Lyon and Vienna.

“It took us sticking together and believing that got us through in the end,” Ram said. “The tennis is so marginal. Those guys have had a great year and great recent form.”

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin were making their first appearance at the year-end event as a team, with Gonzalez the third Mexican to qualify for the semi-finals in tournament history. The Mexican-French pair lifted five tour-level trophies this year, including ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Miami and Paris.

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin can no longer finish the year at No. 1. If Granollers and Zeballos win the title they will end the season in top spot. If not, Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek will receive Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honours.

Did You Know
Ram and Salisbury have now won three Match Tie-breaks at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals.

In Turin, the top eight players in the world customised their own version of the Nitto ATP Finals Official Poster, in collaboration with Honor Titus.

Now, fans have an opportunity to own these eight one-of-a-kind pieces, created by their favourite players on Media Day ahead of the season finale.

 

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These special posters are on auction this weekend, with all proceeds going to support an environmental sustainability project in the event’s host city.

Each poster is on auction through OpenSea as a digital collectible, powered by Polygon. The winning bidder will also be sent a physical print, directly to their home. The auction closes on Sunday, 19 November at 11:59pm CET.

Browse the player posters and auction below, or customise your own Nitto ATP Finals Official Poster.

Honor Titus x Novak Djokovic (View Djokovic’s Creation)

Novak Djokovic” />

Honor Titus x Carlos Alcaraz (View Alcaraz’s Creation)

Carlos Alcaraz Poster” />

Honor Titus x Daniil Medvedev (View Medvedev’s Creation)

Daniil Medvedev” />

Honor Titus x Jannik Sinner (View Sinner’s Creation)

Jannik Sinner Poster” />

Honor Titus x Andrey Rublev (View Rublev’s Creation)

Andrey Rublev Poster” />

Honor Titus x Stefanos Tsitsipas (View Tsitsipas’ Creation)

Stefanos Tsitsipas Poster” />

Honor Titus x Alexander Zverev (View Zverev’s Creation)

Alexander Zverev” />

Honor Titus x Holger Rune (View Rune’s Creation)

Holger Rune” />

Daniil Medvedev’s season finished on a much higher note this year than last.

The former World No. 1 left Turin 12 months ago with nothing to show except three heart-breaking third-set tie-break losses from the Nitto ATP Finals. This time around he returned to the semi-finals after earning a 2-1 group record to cap an impressive year that yielded 66 match wins and a record five titles.

“I’m happy. Was a great season,” said Medvedev, who will finish at No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. “Some ups, some downs for sure. Big up was in the beginning of the season. I was proud of myself because before Rotterdam I dropped out of the Top 10… I was feeling terrible, awful. I couldn’t put the ball in the court.

“After [that] everything went better. Titles, finals, stuff like this. Generally, I’m happy with what I achieved this season. I’m going to try to learn from it and try to go for more in the next season because Sinner, Alcaraz, Novak, they play only better and better. If you want to try to stay on the top, you have to improve non-stop.”

Medvedev got hot early in the season, running up a 19-match winning streak with titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai and a run to the final in Indian Wells. He followed with his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami and during the clay swing surprised with a title in Rome.

Medvedev rallied from dropping the first set Saturday against Sinner but ultimately was unable to stop the momentum of the Italian, who has won 17 of his past 18 matches and who is riding a wave of vociferous home support at the Pala Alpitour.

“I’m very impressed, to be honest,” Medvedev said of Sinner’s level. “He doesn’t miss much, he can run well. If you give him easy ball, you feel like he moves you over the court. He can volley well. Serve has improved a lot.

“I generally believe if he plays like this, like he played last weeks, all the time, he’s going to have Slams, No. 1. Then it comes to how many weeks, how many Slams, stuff like this. Sometimes this way ends. The question is how often is he going to ride it. When he’s not on the wave, how good he plays. That’s the way tennis is.

“But at the moment he is very, very good, and there’s not much more to add.”

Medvedev is now looking for a relaxing beach on which to take time out and hinted that he may have a lighter January schedule than normal.

“To be honest, I haven’t been on like off-season vacation as some players. One time I had Davis Cup. Last year we had a small baby, so… I was straightaway back to the duties.

“This year we’re going to go with my wife to the islands. First time in maybe four, five years. She doesn’t like it too much there because there is not much to do. But for me, that’s perfect after a hectic season. I love it (smiling).

“I’m probably going to play only Australian Open. Going to try like this to have more of a vacation time than usual and more off-season time and start with a slam straightaway, which is going to be new for me.”