Djokovic overcomes hip issues to set up Sinner final
Novak Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday as he bids for a 100th ATP title.
Novak Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday as he bids for a 100th ATP title.
Novak Djokovic is on the brink of a rare milestone at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Aiming to become just the third man to lift 100 tour-level singles titles, the Serbian maintained his perfect Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Taylor Fritz to book his spot in the championship match at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000. Djokovic mixed trademark, gritty defence with spectacular shotmaking from the baseline in Saturday’s clash to prevail 6-4, 7-6(6), his 10th straight tour-level victory against Fritz, and set a final showdown with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
“I came to Shanghai after five years of not playing in China, the place where I’ve always had great success, both in Shanghai and Beijing,” said Djokovic, when asked about the prospect of joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the 100-plus titles club. “[I’ve won] many titles, had great battles and great performances. I’ve said it many times, the support that I get here is tremendous and I’m very grateful.
“That creates an energy that keeps me going, keeps me running, so I did come here definitely with a vision and a desire to get to the final and fight for a 100th title. I get that chance against the best player in the world, and let’s see what happens.”
ONE win away from a century of titles ‼️@DjokerNole wins the epic battle v. Fritz 6-4 7-6 to advance to his 59th ATP Masters 1000 final!@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/PopX6Gqdso
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2024
Chasing his 50th tour-level win of the season, Fritz dug deep in the opening game against Djokovic to hold serve from 0/40, but the American struggled to make an impact in return games for much of the semi-final encounter. He earned only two break points in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats, when Djokovic was down 3-4, 15/40 in the second set. Yet the Serbian rallied to hold serve, and Fritz was later unable to force a deciding set after letting slip a set point behind his own serve at 6/5 in the tie-break.
Djokovic had acknowledged a ‘strange feeling’ in his unbandaged left knee during his quarter-final victory against Jakub Mensik on Friday, and he again appeared in discomfort during the closing stages against Fritz. He received treatment from the physio on the issue at 5-6 in the second set, but he was nonetheless able to grind out victory via the second-set tie-break.
“It always takes it out of me, these kinds of battles, but particularly towards the end of the tournament,” said Djokovic. “At this stage of my career, I’m doing my best to recover and I had some issues here and there on the court, physically, yesterday and today. But I managed to overcome it. It was a stern test. Taylor is in form, playing probably the best tennis of his life coming off a Grand Slam final, and he’s playing really well, particularly on this surface.
“He’s serving big, so I knew it was going to be a big test for me. I did not want to get to a third set, and I’m just glad to overcome in two.”
[ATP APP]With his one-hour, 56-minute win against Fritz, the record 40-time Masters 1000 titlist Djokovic advanced to his record-extending 59th final at that level, and his first of the 2024 season. The 37-year-old has now reached a Masters 1000 title match in 17 different seasons (2007-09, 2011-24), the same number as his great ‘Big Three’ rivals Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Standing between Djokovic and a record-extending fifth title in Shanghai is World No. 1 Sinner, who earlier defeated Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic leads the Italian 4-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, although Sinner has won the pair’s two most recent meetings at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals and the 2024 Australian Open.
Djokovic’s latest victory in Shanghai was another boost to his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the 17th time. The 37-year-old rose above Casper Ruud into sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by defeating Fritz on Saturday evening.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Aryna Sabalenka recovers from a set down against Coco Gauff to reach the final of the Wuhan Open.
Are Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni rounding into form in time to seal a Nitto ATP Finals spot?
The Argentine pair on Saturday edged Adam Pavlasek and Jean-Julien Rojer 4-6, 7-5. 10-8 to reach the final at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Gonzalez and Molteni’s 99-minute triumph was based on a rock-solid serving performance, and they finished the match having won 83 per cent (40/48) of points behind their first deliveries, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
[ATP APP]After arriving in Shanghai having lost seven of their past 12 tour-level matches, Gonzalez and Molteni will now contest their second ATP Masters 1000 final after they lifted the 2023 Cincinnati title. They have so far risen four spots to 10th in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as a result of their run in China, where they have boosted their hopes of a second Nitto ATP Finals appearance after they made their debut in Turin last year.
Awaiting Gonzalez and Molteni in Sunday’s championship match inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena will be Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic. The two teams have split their previous two Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings so far, with Koolhof/Mektic winning in January in Auckland before Gonzalez/Molteni avenged that loss in April in Barcelona.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Jannik Sinner has clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours — becoming the first Italian to do so — following his semi-final win at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
On 10 June, Sinner became the first man or woman from his country to reach World No. 1 in singles since computerised rankings were introduced in 1973. He has not relinquished his place since and will retain it at least through the end of the season.
“It’s amazing. It’s something you dream of when you are a kid, when you are young, just to reach the No. 1. Now having the year-end, it’s also a different and special feeling,” Sinner said. “It means so much to me, obviously. This is something I could not accomplish without all the people I have around — the family and friends and also a big credit to my team.”
🚨 HISTORY MADE! 🚨
🇮🇹 Jannik Sinner claims ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF, becoming the first Italian to achieve this historic feat! 🏆#PIF | #ATPRankings | #partner pic.twitter.com/1nKno7Gs0v
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2024
The 23-year-old is the 19th player to claim year-end World No. 1 and just the fourth active player, joining Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner won the Australian Open to begin his season and has not looked back since. After a battle with Alcaraz through the middle of the season for year-end No. 1 honours, he has pulled away to claim the prestigious award. He has captured an ATP Tour-leading six titles — including his first major triumphs at the Australian Open and US Open — and will try to win his seventh trophy of 2024 on Sunday in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final.
By emerging victorious in Melbourne and New York, Sinner became just the third man in the Open Era to claim his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season. He was the first to accomplish the feat since Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
[ATP APP]Sinner entered the season with momentum after reaching the championship match at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals and leading Italy to Davis Cup glory. Beginning 2024 at World No. 4, he rallied from a two-set deficit to Daniil Medvedev in the final at Melbourne Park to become just the second Italian man to claim Grand Slam glory in the Open Era, joining Adriano Panatta (1976 Roland Garros).
Sinner would win his first 16 matches of the year and his record for the season stands at 64-6. The 23-year-old has matched his personal-best wins total from last year, when he set the record for most wins by a male player from his country in a single season in the Open Era.
The San Candido native entered the year with one ATP Masters 1000 title and has added two more, lifting trophies in Miami and Cincinnati. He also claimed crowns at ATP 500 events in Rotterdam and Halle.
By adding to his majors total at the US Open, Sinner became one of only four players who have triumphed at the Australian Open and US Open on hard court in the same season. The other three are Djokovic, Roger Federer and Mats Wilander.
Sinner has already held World No. 1 for 17 weeks and will continue adding to his total. He ranks 18th among the 29 players who have reached World No. 1 in weeks at the top of the sport.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Finishing the season as the best player in the world is the ultimate achievement in tennis. Jannik’s determination and tireless work ethic earn him his place in history as the first Italian to achieve this milestone. At just 23 years old, he should be immensely proud of everything he has accomplished. We look forward with great excitement to watching his journey continue.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]After Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis at the end of the 2024 season on Thursday, WTA stars Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff shared heartwarming messages for the former World No. 1, who spent 209 weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings during his career.
Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion who considers Nadal her role model, posted a video on social media, sharing thoughts about her “biggest inspiration” and his impact on her career.
“You were and still are the biggest inspiration that I ever had in tennis. The reason why sometimes I got extra motivated and kept pushing myself,” the four-time Roland Garros champion shared.
Calling it a special day for every tennis fan, Swiatek thanked the 22-time Grand Slam champion for humility and wished him the best as he prepares for the next chapter of his life.
“I hope you’re going to enjoy the other part of your life and hopefully maybe some other career, because the sky is the limit for you now. And I hope you are going to spend a lot of time now with your close ones and your family.”
RafIga FOREVER ♾#RafaSiempre pic.twitter.com/YPPH7Rd8Vl
— wta (@WTA) October 11, 2024
Coco Gauff also shared her thoughts about the 14-time Roland Garros champion at the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open WTA tournament in China.
“He is my favorite person to watch practice honestly,” the 2023 US Open champion said. “The intensity that he brought on the practice court and obviously on the match court is something that I felt like watching is unmatched.
“Watching the video, a bit emotional because Rafa is all I’ve known growing up. Pretty sure he’s won Roland Garros for the majority of my life,” shared Gauff, born three years after Nadal turned pro in 2001.
[ATP APP]She also recalled fond memories of Nadal from this year’s Paris Olympics.
“Actually, I don’t think I posted the picture, but we traded pins at the Olympics, which is the one thing I wanted to do. He was super nice with that. We were both waiting on the shuttle. It was the last shuttle of the day, like 11 p.m. I asked him if I could have one of his pins. He gave me one.
“Carlos [Alcaraz] was there, too, but Carlos didn’t have any pins. I only took the picture with Rafa there. I was like, ‘Carlos, you can’t be in it because you didn’t give me a pin,” she shared, laughing.
“Yeah, just something like that I’ll remember. And something I’ll definitely tell my kids because it meant a lot to me.”
The Spaniard, who has a 12-7 record for the 2024 season according to Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, will play his final event at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November.
– with assistance from WTATennis.com.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Top 20 American Sebastian Korda has undergone surgery on his right elbow, the 24-year-old posted on Instagram Friday.
No. 19 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Korda has not played since suffering a straight-sets loss to Czech Tomas Machac in the second round of the US Open.
[ATP APP]Korda posted: “I wanted to update you all — I’ve been dealing with some elbow issues and my team and I decided surgery was the best option. Everything went great, and I can’t wait to be back on court soon. Thanks for all your support!”
The 24-year-old, who won the Washington ATP 500 title in August, is 31-19 on the season according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Roger Federer returned to the Rolex Shanghai Masters for an exhibition doubles match on Friday.
Before stepping on court, the Swiss legend ran into old rival Novak Djokovic as the 99-time tour-level champion walked out of his quarter-final match after battling past #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik.
“Hey Old Man,” said Federer to the Serb, laughing, as the two shook hands.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion who won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai twice (2014, 2017), partnered with Eason Chan, a prominent Chinese singer and actor. They defeated the pairing of top Chinese player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zhang Zhizhen, and table tennis champion Fan Zhendong in a light-hearted match. The four treated fans with some great exchanges.
[ATP APP]The 103-time tour-level titlist also visited Shanghai last year to receive the Icon Athlete Award from the tournament, celebrating his illustrious career.
During their careers, Djokovic and Federer played 50 times, with the Serbian taking their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 27-23.
-Additional reporting from Vivienne Christie, courtesy Rolex Shanghai Masters.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Taylor Fritz has a chance to add more success to his already unforgettable season Saturday in Shanghai.
Playing Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will hope to get his first win against the Serb. The former World No.1 holds an overwhelming 9-0 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, in which the American has only won three sets.
“Hopefully one of these times I’m due, because I’m only getting better and better, and I’m excited at the opportunity to play him,” Fritz said.
“We [have] played a lot of times, and I’ve never gotten him, so I’m really, really just waiting for that. Excited for the chance and waiting for that time when maybe I can get a first win on him.”
[ATP APP]This is perhaps Fritz’s best chance if he is to notch a first victory against the 99-time tour-level champion. Since the last time they played at the Australian Open earlier this year, Fritz has won two titles and has made great strides at big tournaments, including his first major final at the US Open in September, where he fell to No. 1 Jannik Sinner. As a result, the 26-year-old is up to the fifth spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is in prime position to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time.
“This year, I have felt like I’ve been in a better rhythm with my serve. There’s been times where it hasn’t felt maybe as good as I would like it to, but especially in the last match and then this match, even more so in the second set of this match, I feel like I’m serving a good percentage and hitting spots very well,” he shared.
“If a lot of my results this year, US Open included, [have] taught me anything, it’s that I don’t need to be playing perfect to have deep runs in tournaments and to have big results. Just my average level has improved a lot, and it’s gotten me to a level where, if I compete really hard and focus really hard, a lot of times it will be enough to get me deep in the tournaments.”
Fritz 🆚 Djokovic
Ball bludgeoning 🎾@Taylor_Fritz97 is leading the Serve #ShotQuality leaderboard this week, and @DjokerNole is back to his best from the back of the court 📈
Game on ❗#TennisInsights | @atptour | @RolexSHMasters pic.twitter.com/HGq1biAa8a
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) October 11, 2024
Despite having played more than 60 matches (49-19 record according to Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index) this year, Fritz feels it is important to continue powering through, aiming for a strong finish as the end of the season approaches.
“We’re coming up on the home stretch, and when I kind of get deeper into a tournament, past the first couple [of] rounds, it gets a lot easier for me to really lock in and give it absolutely everything I have. So, I feel good, as good as I can feel after playing [so] many matches.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Novak Djokovic’s bid for a landmark 100th ATP title remains on track in Shanghai, where news of Rafael Nadal’s retirement plan has been a shock to the system.