Novak Djokovic claims record seventh year-end number one ranking
Novak Djokovic beats Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to reach the Paris Masters final and secure a record seventh year-end number one ranking.
Novak Djokovic beats Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to reach the Paris Masters final and secure a record seventh year-end number one ranking.
Reigning champion Daniil Medvedev powered into his second consecutive Rolex Paris Masters final on Saturday as he snapped Alexander Zverev’s eight-match winning streak, downing the German 6-2, 6-2.
The second seed soared to the title in Paris 12 months ago and put himself in a position to lift the trophy in the French capital again as he dictated against Zverev with his flat groundstrokes to advance after 80 minutes.
Medvedev saved all three break points he faced and soaked up the German’s powerful hitting, committing just eight unforced errors to level their ATP Head2Head series at 5-5. With his victory, the Russian has now won his past four meetings against Zverev, including last year’s championship match in Paris.
[FOLLOW 1000]The World No. 2 is aiming to win his second ATP Masters 1000 crown of the season, after triumphing in Toronto in August. The 25-year-old also captured his maiden major title at the US Open in September and lifted trophies in Marseille and Mallorca earlier this year.
Medvedev will face Novak Djokovic in the final after the Serbian edged Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(5). The 34-year-old’s victory meant he secured the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking for a record seventh time, eclipsing the mark he previously shared with Pete Sampras.
Zverev has been in dominant form since the start of the Tokyo Olympics, where he won the singles gold medal. The World No. 4 has won 28 of his past 31 matches, also triumphing in Cincinnati during his run. However, the 24-year-old was unable to find his best form against a relentless Medvedev.
Novak Djokovic has made history again. The Serbian today secured the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking for a record seventh time, eclipsing the mark previously he shared with American Pete Sampras.
By defeating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in Saturday’s Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals, Djokovic breaks a tie with Sampras, who completed six straight year-end No. 1 finishes between 1993-98. Djokovic has achieved the feat in seven of the past 11 seasons (also 2011-12, ’14-15, ’18 and ’20).
“Just proud and extremely happy. Obviously that was one of the biggest goals and it’s always one of the biggest goals, to try to be No. 1 and end the season as No. 1,” Djokovic said. “To do it for the record seventh time and surpass my childhood idol and role model, Pete, is incredible. Very grateful, very blessed to be in this position.”
Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “Finishing the season as No. 1 is a monumental achievement. To do it seven times, in this incredible era of men’s professional tennis, is hard to describe. Novak deserves huge credit and recognition for continuing to redefine excellence in our sport, year after year. Congratulations to him and his team on this outstanding new milestone.”
The 34-year-old, who extends his record as the oldest man to finish year-end No. 1, came within one victory of completing the Grand Slam in 2021. He went 27-1 at the four major championships with trophies at the Australian Open (d. Medvedev), Roland Garros (d. Tsitsipas) and Wimbledon (d. Berrettini). His bid to match the feat of Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) ended in the US Open final (l. to Medvedev).
It marks the 17th time in the past 18 seasons (barring Andy Murray in 2016) that the year-end No. 1 has been held by Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (five times: 2008, ’10, ’13, ’17, ’19) or Roger Federer (also five times: 2004-07, ’09).
Djokovic eclipsed Federer’s all-time mark of 310 weeks at No. 1 on 8 March and will finish 2021 having held the top ranking for 348 weeks (as of 22 November). The Serbian’s fifth stint in the top spot began the week of 3 February 2020.
In addition to his three major titles, Djokovic also triumphed on home soil at the Belgrade Open in May. He became the first man since Laver to win each major twice at Roland Garros in June and earned a sixth Wimbledon title in July, drawing him level on a record 20 majors with Federer and Nadal. Djokovic’s career trophy haul stands at 85 (fifth in the Open Era).
Djokovic will attempt to secure a record-equalling sixth Nitto ATP Finals trophy at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. He will be making his 14th appearance at the season finale, where he will officially receive the year-end ATP Tour No. 1 trophy presented by FedEx.
ATP TOUR YEAR-END NO. 1
Year Player
2021 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2020 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2019 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2018 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2017 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2016 Andy Murray (Great Britain)
2015 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2014 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2013 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2012 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2011 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2010 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2009 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2008 Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2007 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2006 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2005 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2004 Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2003 Andy Roddick (U.S.)
2002 Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2001 Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2000 Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil)
1999 Andre Agassi (U.S.)
1998 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1997 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1996 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1995 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1994 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1993 Pete Sampras (U.S.)
1992 Jim Courier (U.S.)
1991 Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1990 Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1989 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1988 Mats Wilander (Sweden)
1987 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1986 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1985 Ivan Lendl (Czech Republic)
1984 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1983 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1982 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1981 John McEnroe (U.S.)
1980 Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1979 Bjorn Borg (Sweden)
1978 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1977 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1976 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1975 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1974 Jimmy Connors (U.S.)
1973 Ilie Nastase (Romania)
Great Britain draw 11-time champions Czech Republic in the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup qualifying round.
The groups for the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals were set Saturday in Milan.
The 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is making his debut at the 21-and-under event and will lead Group A alongside Brandon Nakashima, Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune.
Italian Lorenzo Musetti will carry home hopes in Milan at the fourth edition of the event and will compete in Group B. The 19-year-old is joined by Sebastian Korda, Sebastian Baez and Hugo Gaston.
Group A
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
Brandon Nakashima (United States)
Juan Manuel Cerundolo (Argentina)
Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune (Denmark)
Group B
Sebastian Korda (United States)
Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
Sebastian Baez (Argentina)
Hugo Gaston (France)
Alcaraz has enjoyed a breakthrough 2021 season, capturing his maiden tour-level title in Umag, before he earned his first Top 10 win over No. 3-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the US Open quarter-finals. The Spaniard will look to follow in the footsteps of previous Next Gen ATP Finals champions Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner.
Nakashima trained in Milan on Saturday after earning his place following an impressive year. The 20-year-old reached back-to-back tour-level finals in Los Cabos and Atlanta and arrives in form, after winning an ATP Challenger Tour title in Brest last week.
Six different countries are represented in the eight-man singles field, with the event to be held at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, from 9-13 November.
Musetti features in Group B following a standout season in which he rose from No. 128 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 57 in September. Korda will rival the Italian in Group B after securing his spot. The American captured his maiden tour-level crown in Parma in May and enjoyed a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in July.
Novak Djokovic rallied from a set down – and a shock final-set fadeout – to defeat Hubert Hurkacz Saturday to power into his seventh Rolex Paris Masters final, clinching the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking for a record seventh time in the process.
The 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(5) win guarantees that the Serb will finish the year No. 1, breaking a tie of six year-end No. 1 finishes he has shared with Pete Sampras (1993-1998).
“Just proud and extremely happy,” Djokovic said of clinching No. 1. “Obviously that was one of the biggest goals and it’s always one of the biggest goals, to try to be No. 1 and end the season as No. 1,” Djokovic said. “To do it for the record seventh time and surpass my childhood idol and role model, Pete, is incredible. Very grateful, very blessed to be in this position.”
Djokovic on Sunday will play for his sixth Paris title as he looks to break another significant record he shares: He is tied with Rafael Nadal for most ATP Masters 1000 titles won (36).
? 2011
? 2012
? 2014
? 2015
? 2018
? 2020
? 2021Simply incredible, @DjokerNole ? @FedEx pic.twitter.com/DTmYrmQfUw
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 6, 2021
Djokovic responded from dropping the first set to bagel Hurkacz in the second set and continued on to win 10 of 11 games to break open the match with a 4-1 lead in the third set. The Pole struggled to hit winners against the elastic Serb, who was always expected to be steadiest from the baseline, seemingly leaving Hurkacz without a clear path to victory.
But in a dramatic plot twist, the Pole rediscovered his first serve and penetrating groundstrokes to pressure Djokovic, who had seized momentum largely by making fewer errors. Suddenly, “steady as she goes” no longer was good enough to get the job done given Hurkacz’s renewed confidence and “go big or go home” mindset.
Hurkacz broke back for 3-4 and then levelled at 4-all and saved a match point on his own serve at 4-5. Little separated the pair in the dramatic third-set tie-break, but Djokovic emerged victorious when Hurkacz narrowly pushed wide a backhand volley.
Despite a standout season that saw him come within one match of completing the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, the Belgrade native is looking for his first Masters 1000 title of the year. As he continues to round into form in his first tournament since the US Open, Djokovic successfully rallied from losing the first set for the 13th time this year.
“I was not concerned much,” Djokovic said of the lack of match practice coming into the tournament. “To be honest, I enjoyed my time off and spent plenty of time with my family and spent time at my tennis center in Serbia where I have a lot of work to do and some other things that occupy my time.
“I wasn’t bored without tennis, but I like competing so I was looking forward to coming to Paris and the biggest reason coming here was to clinch the year-end No. 1. Now that I managed to do it, it’s a huge relief, as well.”
In Sunday’s final he will play defending champion Daniil Medvedev, who will be looking to level his ATP Head2Head series against the Serb to 5-5. So while he is delighted to have clinched year-end No. 1, Djokovic is not resting.
[FOLLOW 1000]”The job is not done,” he said. “Obviously reaching the finals of one of the biggest tournaments that we have in our sport on our tour is something that stands out regardless of the year-end achievement that is completed.
”So hopefully going to have another great match tomorrow, and then take it from there.”
Miami champion Hurkacz will now turn his focus to his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he may get the opportunity to improve his 0-3 ATP Head2Head record against Djokovic.
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have clinched the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking after a season full of historic achievements. Pavic has finished in top spot twice before, partnering Oliver Marach in 2018 and Bruno Soares last year. This is the first time Mektic has been part of the year-end No. 1 tandem.
The Croatians are the only men from their country to claim year-end No. 1 in singles or doubles. They began the year in top form and never looked back, tallying an impressive nine tour-level titles, including victories at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three ATP Masters 1000 events.
“I think it’s a really good achievement, especially after the year we had. I was really looking forward to this happening,” Mektic said. “That was definitely one of the goals when I saw how things were going. I think it’s a pretty good achievement to crown the whole year of really nice wins and great tournament titles with the No. 1 ranking.”
“I’m extremely happy. Obviously it’s been the third time for me in the past four years with three different partners. It is the first time I’ve done it with my fellow Croatian, so I think it’s definitely a big achievement for us personally, but also in general for Croatian tennis to have a year-end No. 1 team coming from Croatia,” Pavic said. “I think it’s a big achievement. Obviously we had a great year and we’re looking forward to playing in Turin this year at the Finals and trying to finish the year the same as we started.”
Mektic, 32, and Pavic, 28, began their partnership this year with titles at the Antalya Open (d. Dodig/Polasek) and the Murray River Open (d. Chardy/Martin) before advancing to the Australian Open semi-finals. Their season-opening 12-match winning streak was a sign of things to come.
The Croatians won 56 of their first 61 matches in 2021, including Masters 1000 triumphs at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Evans/N. Skupski both times) and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Ram/Salisbury). Mektic and Pavic made history at Wimbledon, where they became the first all-Croatian team to win a men’s doubles Grand Slam title (d. Granollers/Zeballos).
The countrymen did not suffer a let-down at the Tokyo Olympics, where they defeated fellow Croatians Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig for the gold medal. Mektic and Pavic have also lifted trophies at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (d. Krawietz/Tecau) and the Viking International Eastbourne (d. Ram/Salisbury) this year.
Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman said: “Congratulations to Nikola and Mate on an outstanding season and finishing the year as No.1. To start so strongly and have such success in their first season as a team is impressive and they should be truly proud of their achievements. We look forward to seeing them in action in Turin at the Nitto ATP Finals.”
Mektic and Pavic will be the top seeds at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. Mektic emerged victorious alongside Dutchman Wesley Koolhof at the season finale last year, when it was held at The O2 in London.
Tennis fans who can’t wait for the start of the Nitto ATP Finals could do worse than to tune into the semi-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals Saturday, where four Turin qualifiers will continue their pursuit of the year’s final ATP Masters 1000 title.
And, for good measure, fans may also witness Novak Djokovic create history by clinching the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking for a record seventh time, a feat the Serb can lock up should he beat Hubert Hurkacz. For pure entertainment value, the second semi-final between US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev is also must-see TV.
Chasing a record-breaking 37th Masters 1000 title, five-time Paris champion Djokovic takes a 2-0 ATP Head2Head lead into his battle with Hurkacz, who on Friday sealed the eighth and final singles berth in Turin. The pair has not played since Wimbledon in 2019.
Final 4️⃣
?? Djokovic v. Hurkacz ??
?? Zverev v. Medvedev ??#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/PAvtxjjDqJ— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) November 5, 2021
Djokovic is appearing in his 71st Masters 1000 semi-final; Hurkacz has only been here once before, but made the most of that opportunity when he pushed on to take the Miami title in March.
Counterbalancing his experience is Djokovic’s lack of match play; he is making his first tournament appearance since falling one match shy of completing the Grand Slam in the US Open final against Medvedev. But he has been steadily rounding back into form this week.
“I was absent from the Tour for two months, coming into this tournament, and the last competitive match I played was in the US Open final, compared to the other guys playing one or two events prior to Paris,” said Djokovic. “I knew that I needed to start well, with good intensity and put in a lot of hours on the practice court. But it’s different when you play points in a competitive match.”
Most Tour-Level Match Wins 2021
| Player | Wins |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 55 |
| Alexander Zverev | 55 |
| Casper Ruud | 53 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 52 |
| Cameron Norrie | 50 |
Despite the high stakes, Poland’s Hurkacz will be able to play freely this week for the first time after finally clinching his place in Turin with Friday’s quarter-final win over Australian James Duckworth.
“It feels incredible. Obviously going to Turin is a dream,” Hurkacz said. “Growing up as a kid, seeing all those top guys playing in the Finals, it’s inspiring. Now being among them, it’s very special because it’s just eight spots there, so it’s not that easy to get there.”
[FOLLOW 1000]Zverev is arguably in the best form of his life, having won 28 of his past 30 matches since the start of the Tokyo Olympics. He seeks his third Masters 1000 title of the season and sixth of his career. By reaching the semi-finals he joins Stefanos Tsitsipas with a tour-leading 55 match wins on the season and he is now within reach of a personal-best sixth title of the season.
Medvedev is hardly in a career slump, either. After winning his first major at Flushing Meadows, the Russian also passed the 50-wins milestone in 2021 en route to the round of 16 in Indian Wells, where he fell to Grigor Dimitrov. He will also be full of confidence at this stage of the season, having won back-to-back titles in Paris and at the Nitto ATP finals last year.
Despite trailing the ATP Head2Head series 4-5, World No. 2 Medvedev has won his three meetings against the German in the past 12 months, including three-set victories in Bercy and at the season finale.
Alexander Zverev’s quest for his third ATP Masters 1000 title of the season stepped up a notch on Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters as the German moved past Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
The World No. 4, who has triumphed at this level in Madrid and Cincinnati this season, was strong on serve against the Norwegian, winning 86 per cent (37/43) of points behind his first delivery to advance after one hour and 36 minutes.
“I thought he served extremely well today which made it very difficult to break,” Zverev said. “I’m happy with the win and to be in the semi-finals.”
Zverev is currently playing some of the best tennis of his career, having won 28 of his past 30 matches, with this run starting at the Tokyo Olympics, where he won the Olympic singles gold medal. The 24-year-old also lifted the trophy in Vienna last week.
[FOLLOW 1000]The fourth seed has fond memories in Paris, enjoying a run to the final in the French capital last year. But he will be hoping to go one step further this week and will next meet Daniil Medvedev after the Russian edged French qualifier Hugo Gaston 7-6(7), 6-4.
Ruud, like Zverev, has earned five tour-level titles in 2021. The 22-year-old will make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals after clinching his spot on Thursday in Paris.
In a strong performance, Zverev played aggressively and raised his level in the crucial moments, saving all three break points he faced to advance. The German now leads Ruud 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares continued their strong week at the Rolex Paris Masters Friday, overcoming fifth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-1, 7-5 to reach the semi-finals in one hour and 33 minutes.
The British-Brazilian tandem advanced to the last four at the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season in 2019 and will have the chance to go one better this week when they face Tim Puetz and Michael Venus.
The German-New Zealand pair edged Frenchmen Fabrice Martin and Andreas Mies 7-5, 7-5 after one hour and 42 minutes and are yet to drop a set this week. They are aiming to win their second tour-level title of the season as a team, after triumphing in Hamburg.
[FOLLOW 1000]Third seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut also booked their spot in the semi-finals with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Benjamin Bonzi and Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchmen won 82 per cent (27/33) of their first-serve points to advance in 89 minutes.
John Peers and Filip Polasek await in the last four after the sixth seeds advanced when Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen were forced to retire 5-7, 0-3 down.