Jannik Sinner dominated this tight spot against Novak Djokovic in Shanghai… | ATP Tour

A Mind Game

Soni held this critical spot for Djokovic in Shanghai…

Brain Game analyzes the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 final

October 13, 2024

The start of the point was not a problem for Novak Djokovic. It was the end.

Jannik Sinner defeated Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final on Sunday to win by just five points (65-60) over the Serbian. In a game that was evenly matched across the board, the Italian excelled in one key area — the ability to finish with the winners.

Winners: Sin
– Aces = 9
– Front = 6
– Hand = 4
– Characters = 4
– Amount = 23

Winners: Djokovic
– Aces = 4
– Front = 4
– Back hand = 1
– Pistols = 3
– Amount = 12

Your 2024 Shanghai Men’s Singles Champion 🏆@janniksin | @SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/hASdvUH1GS

– ATP Tour (@atptour) October 13, 2024

Sinner hit 23 winners to Djokovic’s 12. Both committed 23 unforced errors in the game. Both put 82 percent of their backhands into play. Djokovic actually put more forehands on the court (86% to 84%) and hit them more (81 mph to 79 mph) on average in all finals.

But when it came time to finish a good job of building a point, it was Sinner who proved to be twice as good as Djokovic. When splitting the baseline points, Sinner collected 10 winners to just five for Djokovic. The Serbian won the battle of long rallies of nine or more points by eight points out of six. It proved unnecessary in the final result in Shanghai. When Sinner needed to finish this point, his movement, shot selection and court position proved superior to No. 1 former in the PIF ATP Rankings.

One small battle that highlighted the strategic advantage Sinner enjoyed in the match can be seen in the first shot after play, commonly known as the Server +1.

Total Serve +1 Advances
– Sinner = 62% (28/45)
– Djokovic = 42% (15/36)

Sinner Serve +1 Groundstrokes Won
Forehand = 61% (17/28)
– Backhand = 53% (9/17)

Djokovic Serve +1 Groundstrokes Won
Previous hand = 53% (8/15)
– Backhand = 52% (11/21)

Sinner won with Serve +1 earlier in the match, hitting this shot 62 percent of the time. Djokovic struggled to get the Serve +1 on his forehand, only hitting 42 percent of the time. Sinner won 61 percent of his previous Serve +1 points, while Djokovic only had 53 percent. This had a negative impact on the overall progress of the Serbians. Seva’s +1 backhands equal the most baseline in Djokovic’s service games. That makes it more challenging for the Serbian to make winners at the end of the point.

Djokovic again turned his eyes to the front of the court to put pressure on Sinner, but this was one of the rare matches where Djokovic was unable to hit the net. He scored just 45% (5/11), while Sinner collected five of his six wins.

It has been almost 12 months since Djokovic won his last ATP Tour title at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin last November. At the age of 37, Djokovic, who recently won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, is nearing the end of his career. This game shows where his smaller opponents will have an advantage against him.

It’s not about building a point. It’s in the end.