Jannik Sinner started his ATP finals campaign on a winning note when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-4 in Turin.
It was the young Italian’s third victory against his Greek opponent and he hit a total of 22 winning shots.
“I was excited to step on the court and play the first match of the ATP Finals. I knew that Stefanos would make things difficult for me, but I think that I handled the pressure well. I tried to play as aggressively as possible and I’m very happy with my performance,” said Sinner.
Djokovic ends the year as the world’s top player
Novak Djokovic did what he promised and he finished with Holger Rune to end the year as the world’s number one tennis player.
The 36-year-old Serbian – who beat Rune 7-6, 6-7 and 6-3 – only needed to win one match in Turin to achieve this feat.
It is the eighth time in his career that he ends the tennis year in the top spot in the ATP rankings and he will soon celebrate his 400th week as the world number one player.
“The victory means a lot to me – you could see that I was emotional on the track. I am grateful that I was able to achieve this great goal and any additional success is now just a bonus,” said Djokovic.
Results:
Novak Djokovic beats Holger Rune 7-6, 6-7 and 6-3
Jannik Sinner beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 and 6-4
Players who could end the year as the world’s best player the most times:
- Novak Djokovic: 8
- Pete Sampras: 6
- Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors and Rafael Nadal: 5
