Novak Djokovic won the ATP Finals for a record seventh time

The champion of the Nitto ATP Finals, the final tournament of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) that ended in Turin with a prize fund of $15 million, was Novak Djokovic, who confidently beat Italian Jannik Sinner in two games. A Kommersant correspondent observed what was happening in the Pala Alpitour arena and beyond. Evgeny Fedyakov.

In the final match of the ATP calendar of this season, Novak Djokovic’s gigantic championship experience was countered by youth for countless times in recent years. That is, the Serb found himself in a familiar situation, while Jannik Sinner played such a significant final for the first time in his life.

Jannik Sinner’s performance created a real sensation in his homeland, which could not but affect interest in the tournament. At each of the 15 gaming sessions (in the group stage and on Saturday, the day of the semi-finals, two matches were played), the 12,000-seat arena was filled to capacity, that is, in total they managed to sell almost 180 thousand tickets. At the final press conference of the organizers, the President of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, called the interest in the competition extraordinary, and the total economic effect – €300 million – “unique for a week-long sporting event held in Italy.” By the way, over the three years that the Nitto ATP Finals are taking place in Turin, this amount has approximately tripled. It is not surprising that, according to Sky Sport Italia, the leadership of the ATP found it possible to extend the five-year contract with the Italians for another two seasons, until 2027.

By and large, the hosts lacked only one thing – the triumph of their compatriot, who, unlike Djokovic, performed brilliantly here from the very beginning. On the way to the final, Sinner did not suffer a single defeat. At the group stage, he also beat a Serb, in the semi-finals he broke the resistance of Daniil Medvedev, and out of 58 games on his serve, played in four matches, he gave away only two.

Djokovic, in turn, spent a long time in Turin this year, made it through the playoffs with great problems, but at the right moment he still managed to improve. On Saturday he left no chance for Carlos Alcaraz, who he said was now forced to forget the victorious Wimbledon final against the famous veteran and will often remember their last match as he prepares for the new season. Therefore, Djokovic’s confident start to the final was not a revelation. During the entire first set, he gave up only two points out of 22 on his serve, while Sinner was overtaken by failure during the fourth game, in which he led – 40:15 – and gave away four balls in a row.

The start of the second set changed almost nothing. Djokovic was in complete control of the situation on the baseline, and Sinner, as if by inertia, continued to make mistakes. The problems that the Italian had with throwing the ball contributed to the fact that his opponent made a dry break in the first game. In the third game, the Serbian tennis player had two break points and was close to securing a decisive lead. But this did not work out, and the fate of the match a few minutes later was finally decided by another, sixth game, already on Djokovic’s serve.

It is impossible to play an important match against the most dangerous opponent without the slightest loss of concentration, even if you have won 24 Grand Slam championships and six final tournaments. In addition, at some point, Sinner lifted the burden of responsibility from his shoulders for a few minutes. Sending the ball backhand at 132 km/h, the Italian soon faced a double break point, but Djokovic managed to set up and neutralize the danger with a flawless first serve.

In the seventh game, which lasted more than a quarter of an hour, Sinner still resisted. He again reduced the gap to a minimum, but this was his last achievement this season. Djokovic started the eighth game at 0:30, throwing a smash into the empty court, but the Italian once again ruined all his chances of getting a hold with his trembling hand, which he used to screw up the move. And then Sinner suffered another serve fiasco – and it was all over. As a result – 6:3, 6:3 in 1 hour 43 minutes.

Thus, at the end of the year, 36-year-old Djokovic, who won the 98th title of his career, won the final tournament for a record seventh time and earned $4.4 million in prize money and 1,300 ranking points in eight days, stopped the two youngest players in the first fives. Now his advantage over Alcaraz before the start of the next season will be 2390 points. And this is a lot, even despite the fact that in January in Australia the Serb will have to defend 2250 points, and the Spaniard will have none.