In an exciting match at the ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic for the first time in his career. Playing at home in Turin, Sinner defeated world No. 1 in three thrilling sets to take the lead in the Green Group. After the match, the Italian expressed his satisfaction at winning such a high-caliber match, and a generous Djokovic wasn’t shy about praising his opponent’s performance.
Sinner disclosed that he needed to be both brave and smart to defeat Novak Djokovic, while the world No. 1 praised his opponent for showing bravery throughout the match.
Djokovic expressed his thoughts in the post-match interview and said: “The last time we played was in the semis at Wimbledon earlier this year and I won in straight sets. But that was a very close match; a few points here and there decided every set. He was playing as well as today, maybe better, and serving better. But I think the main difference is that, in the important points, he was going for it.”
The Serb appreciated Sinner and said: “He was more courageous and, yeah, he deserved to win because, in the important moments, I was not, I guess, aggressive enough. I was not decisive enough and I gave him the opportunity to take control of the points. You just have to congratulate him. He played a fantastic match. That’s what I told him at the net at the end of the match. I think, in the most important moments, he played his best game and he absolutely deserved to win.”
Novak Djokovic says Jannik Sinner ‘absolutely deserved to win’:
“Last time we were in the semifinals at Wimbledon, I won in three sets but it was hard fought. A few points made the difference. I think on that occasion, he played like today, but this time perhaps he served better… pic.twitter.com/jab9z2EyL6
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 15, 2023
Jannik Sinner in Turin…it 𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 🥕🇮🇹
With an inspired performance, the Italian ends Novak Djokovic's 19-match winning streak 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(2)@janniksin | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/cN2xvmylKz
— Eurosport (@eurosport) November 14, 2023
Novak Djokovic in 2023
Now ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 14th of November when he was overcome by world no.4 Jannik Sinner 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(2) in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At present, during this year the Serbian has achieved a 52-6 win-loss record. The Serbian has won 6 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open and Paris. Novak was the finalist in Wimbledon.
Jannik Sinner in 2023
Currently ranked no.4 (career-high), the Italian played his last match on the 14th of November when he beat world no.1 Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(2) in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Currently, during this year the Italian has managed to achieve an overall 59-14 win-loss record. The Italian has won 4 titles in 2023 in Montpellier, Toronto, Beijing and Vienna. The Italian got to the final in Rotterdam and Miami.
Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner clashed against each other 4 times. Their actual head to head record is 3-1 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they played, Jannik Sinner won 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(2) in the round robin in Turin (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 14th of November 2023.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.