Djokovic Continues March Towards Year-End No. 1 In Paris

Novak Djokovic tightened his grip on the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour Wednesday when he moved past Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-2 to reach the third round at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The World No. 1 leads Carlos Alcaraz by 580 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and could extended his advantage to 1,495 points by winning a record-extending seventh title in Paris-Bercy after the Spaniard lost in his opening match on Tuesday.

In front of a packed crowd on Court Central, Djokovic was in complete control against Etcheverry, who has tracked his ATP Pepperstone Ranking position in comparison to the Serbian in recent years.

Started from the bottom now we here 📸 📈 pic.twitter.com/iBsAJM2YWm

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 11, 2023

The 36-year-old hit with precision from the baseline, pulling the Argentine from corner to corner. He broke Etcheverry’s serve three times and committed just nine unforced errors to advance after one hour and 23 minutes. The 96-time tour-level champion holds a standout 46-9 record at the indoor hard-court event.

Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 40th ATP Masters 1000 title and will next play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. The top seed, who is 47-5 on the year, is competing in singles for the first time since the Davis Cup in September. He has lifted major trophies at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and US Open this year, while also triumphing in Cincinnati and Adelaide.