Jannik Sinner claimed his fourth ATP Masters 1000 crown after defeating Serbian great Novak Djokovic with a high-class showing in Shanghai on Sunday.
The top-seeded Italian recorded a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over the four-time former champion Djokovic in one hour and 37 minutes.
“I have to express my gratitude to the Chinese fans, they are among the most passionate, and it’s a great pleasure to be here. They wait for us outside the hotel, and I’ve received so many gifts. It’s a pleasure to be in Shanghai, I’ve had a lot of success in China throughout my career, and I missed playing here as I haven’t competed here in five years. Congratulations to Jannik, he was too good, too fast, and too strong for me today. You’ve had an exceptional year, and you deserved this. Congrats to Jannik’s team as well, I know some of the guys there (laughs), well done. Great team, and I’m glad you’re working here. It’s also nice to see Roger,” Novak said.
Both players served exceptionally well throughout the first set, preventing each other from gaining any break point opportunities. In the tiebreak, Novak’s level dropped slightly, and a few unforced errors cost him the set after a total of 56 minutes of play.
Novak’s concentration visibly waned in the second set. The Italian continued to serve brilliantly, playing with precision and aggression, which earned him a break in the fourth game. He held onto the only break of the match until the end, securing a well-deserved victory.
“It was a tough match, playing against Novak is one of the hardest challenges we have in the sport, and I’m very happy with how I managed it. He served great in the first set, and I couldn’t find a way to break him. I played a very good tiebreak, which gave me confidence, and I won the second set. I’m really happy with how I played throughout the whole tournament, this is special for me. It’s hard to say what the secret is because he has no weaknesses. You just have to take advantage of the few chances he gives you, but there aren’t many. He didn’t give many throughout the match. I believed in myself every moment. He’s a legend of our sport, and it’s very hard to play against him, so I’m really happy,” Sinner said about Novak after the match.
Match statistics: aces (4-8), double faults (0-0), winners (12-22), unforced errors (23-23), total points won (60-65).
With the runner-up finish at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Novak stays on course for ATP Finals qualification. He is currently in sixth place in the Race to Turin with 3,910 points.
Djokovic will take part in the upcoming Six Kings Slam tournament in Riyadh. He will face the winner of the match between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev on October 17.
Photo: Profimedia
