Novak Djokovic faces Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune at ATP Finals
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Serbia's Novak Djokovic has won three Grand Slams, this year, taking his tally to an all-time record of 24.
PHOTO: AFP
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MILAN – Novak Djokovic will take on Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune in the group stage of the ATP Finals as the world No. 1 chases a seventh season-ending triumph.
The title holder, who headlines the Green Group in Turin, is looking to cap another memorable year in which he has won three Grand Slams, taking his tally to an all-time record of 24.
Djokovic, 36, comes into the Nov 12-19 tournament in northern Italy on a high after claiming a record-extending seventh Paris Masters title by beating Grigor Dimitrov in early November.
Victory in the French capital, where he also won this season at Roland Garros, was his 40th Masters 1000 title and stretched his winning run to 18 matches.
Turning his attention to the ATP Finals, the reigning Australian Open, French Open and US Open champion can also add two more records to his name.
He will finish as the year-end world No. 1 for an eighth time and pass 400 weeks at the summit if he holds on to top spot in Turin.
If Djokovic retains his title, his seventh crown will also break a tie with the retired Roger Federer for the most titles won at the prestigious season-ending competition.
The Serb knows what is at stake, but prefers to keep his feet on the ground.
“I try to be a good student of the game, keep track of the numbers, but at the same time, I also want to be able to just direct my attention to the next challenge,” he said after the Dimitrov match.
“Every match (at the ATP Finals) is going to be like a final of a big tournament, because you play a top-eight player.
“It’s a group-stage format, so even if you lose a match or even two, in a round-robin system you can still go through to the semis.
“I had the perfect score last year, five (wins) out of five matches.
“I think I connect well with the Italian crowd. I’m going there with good feelings, with a lot of confidence.”
In the Red Group, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz faces two-time champion Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and 2021 winner Alexander Zverev and will be hoping to put on a better show than he did in Paris as he makes his Finals debut.
The Spaniard, already a two-time Grand Slam champion at the age of 20, was dumped out by Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin last week after returning from an injury layoff.
Fans will be hoping to see another Alcaraz-Djokovic showdown at some stage which will be a repeat of the Wimbledon final this season won by the former.
“I like those battles. I like to know that I can lose, and I can recover it at the same time,” said Alcaraz previously when asked specifically about his rivalry with Djokovic.
“Of course, you have to enjoy when the battle is against one of the legends from our sport.” AFP
