Novak Djokovic looked set for what would have been a 20th consecutive win, but Jannik Sinner had other plans at the 2023 ATP Finals.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic were always going to play a really close match because they are both playing really well right now. This year's conditions at the ATP Finals suit both, and we saw plenty of great moments from both.
Both served really well in the opening set, hitting a combined 12 aces. For the most part, both had no trouble winning points on their serve but had break points.
Djokovic didn't use his, while Sinner used one of his, and that was all he needed. From the start, the match was one where a few rallies would decide it. Sinner won the opening set 7-5 by playing really smart.
He avoided overhitting the ball, often totaling only one unforced error in the entire set. That's pretty absurd when you look at the way the Italian approaches tennis. Djokovic outhit him with 4 more winners but he also had 5 more unforced errors.
The second set was another close one where both players served and dominated on the first serve. We didn't see a single break point, so the progression was naturally a tiebreak. Djokovic had a few chances to get to a break point, but Sinner always found a great serve when he really needed it.
Both were quite aggressive, with Djokovic once again being the more aggressive one, and they were both great from the baseline. It was just a really well-played match by both players without too many cheap errors. Sinner did take a mini-break to start the tiebreak, but Djokovic pulled it back.
Some really nice battling happened after that, with Djokovic slightly moving ahead but Sinner not letting it go out of hand. Eventually, Djokovic did win the tiebreak, sending the match into a decider. It was a great one from both players, with no early issues.
Down 2-3, Djokovic found himself down 15-40 in the game on his serve, and Sinner broke to the delight of the packed stands. He was really smashing the ball well from the baseline and overwhelmed Djokovic in that game.
Still, the master is the master, and he broke back immediately in the next game. The match concluded in another tiebreak as Djokovic played a bit too flat. Not sharp enough compared to Sinner, who was locked in. The final score was 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(1) for the Italian, who finished with 15 aces and 36 winners.
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