Novak Djokovic yesterday morning patted his chest, crouched down, placed his right hand on the court and looked inward. It was clearly a moment to cherish for the 24-time Grand Slam champion after securing the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record-extending eighth time.
Djokovic needed only one match win at the ATP Finals to be sure of keeping the top spot and he did it in his opener, beating Holger Rune 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (1/7), 6-3 in a match spanning more than three hours on Sunday and into yesterday morning.
“It was a very emotional and tough win because of the significance of tonight’s match,” Djokovic said. “That was added pressure, and attention.”
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“It means a lot,” he added. “You could see there was a lot of emotions on the court. I could feel it. I was very eager to win tonight’s match and get that monkey off my back.”
The 36-year-old Djokovic had already moved ahead of previous record holder Pete Sampras (six years at No. 1) two years ago.
Carlos Alcaraz took the honors last year.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Djokovic bounced back this year by winning three of the four major titles and finishing runner-up to Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
“It always has been a huge objective and huge goal of mine to be No. 1 in the world. Other than Grand Slams, that’s what counts the most,” Djokovic said. “To finish off the year as No. 1 at this stage of my life and career is something really amazing.”
After this tournament, Djokovic would become the first player to hold the No. 1 ranking for 400 weeks, with Roger Federer, at 310 weeks, the only other man to eclipse the 300-week mark.
If Djokovic raises the trophy this weekend, he would break a tie with Federer and capture a record seventh title at the tour finals.
“A big goal is achieved. Everything else now is a bonus,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic has won 19 straight matches since his five-set loss to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in July.
Earlier in the same group, Jannik Sinner beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4.
“Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Sin-ner, Sin-ner,” the crowd chanted.
The way they serenaded Sinner after his brisk win over Tsitsipas in the opening match of the tournament made it sound like a soccer stadium inside the Turin arena.
Before the Italian could respond during an on-court interview, fans started singing his name so loudly that all he could do was step back, smile and say: “Grazie.”
“The feeling is this,” Sinner said. “Kind of a football stadium. Also with the roof closed, it’s a little bit louder. It’s nice. It means that the people, they really care about me,” he said.
Supported by chants of “Vai Jannik” (“Go Jannik”) and signs that read “Facci Sognare” (“Let us dream”), Sinner gave the fans just what they came for with his blistering baseline shots and strong serve.
The 22-year-old Sinner is finishing up a year in which he has claimed four titles including his first Masters 1000 trophy and is up to a career-high No. 4 — the first Italian that high since Adriano Panatta nearly a half-century ago.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
LONG TIME COMING: With the addition of Marcus Smart, the Washington Wizards finally held a team to under 100 points, the last team this season to do so The Detroit Pistons on Monday won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham making 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons, who are in the playoff position, moved to 32-26, their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years. It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris adding 20 points and Jalen Duren making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-2015
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