Can Jannik Sinner stop Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of history in the finals in Shanghai? | ATP Tour

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Can Sinner stop Djokovic’s pursuit of a historic 100th final title in Shanghai?

Pair the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting since the Australian Open

October 12, 2024

For years, Novak Djokovic has talked about how important tennis history is to him. From chasing a record number of singles titles to weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and most recently an Olympic singles gold medal, the Serbian has achieved every goal he set out to achieve.

On Sunday, the 37-year-old got the chance to check another milestone on his list. Djokovic will try to win his 100th tour-level title when he plays World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final. Only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) have done this according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“It feels like the future to fight for the 100th title here in a place where I have had a lot of success in the past, where I have a lot of support,” said the four-time Shanghai champion.

In most of his finals, Djokovic was the clear favorite. Not so at the eighth ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Usoni on Saturday won the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by the PIF honors, becoming the first Italian to do so. The 23-year-old holds a record 3,270 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin ahead of second-placed Carlos Alcaraz, who could extend his tally to 3,620 with a win over sixth-ranked Djokovic.

To put that in perspective, Andrey Rublev, who is currently in the Nitto ATP Finals qualifier in eighth place in the Live Race, has 3,580 points this season. That’s right, this year’s champion of the Australian Open and the US Open will be in 2024.

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Sinner is now 64-6, matching his win total since 2023, when he set the record for most wins by a male Italian player in a single season in the Open Era. There was no compromise in his campaign. Of the San Candido native’s six matches, five have come against top 10 opponents and his other loss was to world number 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, last year world number 3.

“He’s in the form of the last 12 months, the best player in the world, amazing tennis, consistent, too [the] a player to beat, without a doubt, especially on a hard court,” said Djokovic. “He knows my game, I know his game. We haven’t played since Australia this year. Yes, I hope for the best. It will take my best level to win.”

Djokovic leads the pair in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series 4-3, but Sinner has won three of their last four meetings, most recently in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. In that match, 10-time champion Djokovic was unbeaten in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.

The sinner not only won, but did it convincingly, 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3. Djokovic admitted he wasn’t close, but also praised his opponent.

“I think his performance has improved a lot. He hits his corners very well, and I think he is [increased] his speed, too. Work harder now and more precisely,” Djokovic said in January. “He was always calm, composed on the field, but I think he was struggling to maybe win big games, big moments. But now it’s all about him.”

At the time of that match, Sinner had never reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament. He is now a two-time major champion and leads the ATP Tour this year with six titles.

As Sinner will be walking the court on Sunday, he knows the level Djokovic is capable of. The 37-year-old player showed it in Paris when he came back from losing in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz, defeating the Spaniard to win the gold medal.

“We’ve always had very difficult matches in the past,” said Sinner about facing Djokovic. “It will be very difficult, it is one of the biggest challenges we have in our game.

“I’m happy that I can play with him in the final, it’s very special, then we’ll see how it goes. I mean, it’s very difficult to predict this. “

Soni, who have won 20 of their last 21 matches, are in better form. He has shown great consistency in both his play and results throughout the season. There is no secret about what his game will be. The top seed will try to control the action with their relentless groundstrokes and cut through the relentless Serbian defence.

Djokovic, who is competing in his first ATP Masters 1000 final this season, will try to rely on his battle with service games and use his defensive skills to make Sinner uncomfortable and try to break his rhythm.

Sinner, who can claim his fourth Masters 1000 crown from a strong field (also Canada, Cincinnati and Miami) in 14 months, has the form, and Djokovic is hungry for history. Who will win on Sunday in Shanghai?

“I’m in a good chance to win the title, I’m fighting for my 100th title, and the 41st Masters. [1000]against the best player in the world,” said Djokovic. “I’m not going to be the favorite on the court, but hopefully I’ll be able to come out clean enough to challenge him in what’s possible [a] a long game. I have to expect a very difficult game in this tournament, and I have to be ready for it, so I’m looking for a big challenge.”