The Paris Masters is history as far as Novak Djokovic is concerned, with the Serbian already setting sights on winning the ATP Finals for a record-breaking seventh time.
Djokovic co-owns the overall tournament record at the year-end championships with Roger Federer (winning six titles apiece), but he'll have the chance to take that record by himself when the 54th edition kicks off in Turin on Sunday, November 12.
The 36-year-old is the overwhelming favorite to leave northern Italy with the crown in the eight-man field and he has only just learned the identity of the players he will face in the group stage following the release of the draw on Thursday.
Winning an ATP title is no mean feat and is a career highlight for half of the men competing on tour. Not Djokovic, who has done it 97 times and his hunger remains undiluted. Success is sweet, but Djokovic's mindset is always about the next tournament.
"It's great, but it's already behind me. I'm very of course proud of the achievement but I'm already turning the next page. This is, fortunately, or unfortunately, the way it works for me, and the way I think is the correct, so to say, mentality moving forward."
"Because while I'm still active, I still want to win more and I still want to play at the highest level. Obviously, Grand Slams and Masters events are the most valuable tournaments in our sport."
Djokovic managed to outlast a 56-man player field in Paris, but the week wasn't as smooth sailing as he would have envisaged. The seven-time Bercy champion acknowledged that he was unimpressed with his level having fought symptoms related to food poisoning at the start of the tournament.
Djokovic explained that being at the top level means there is always a magnifying glass and the expectation is immense. Because he has raised the bar so high, people forget he is human and experiences emotions like anybody else. It is natural that he might not always operate at his best level.
"So considering the circumstances I had in the last seven days, this win has more weight and more value and it's extra sweet, particularly at this stage of my career. I don't even know in which stage of my career I am anymore, but I think that every win in a big tournament, maybe the value is double nowadays."
"People expect you to always be at your best, to be always reaching the finals, I mean in my case. I'm glad that that's the case, that people kind of see me as one of the main favourites in every single tournament. But at the same time, we are also human beings that have to deal with different things off the court, whether it's health-wise, emotions, or whatever is happening in your private life."
He will be playing at the ATP Finals for the 16th year where he will pursue a 98th career title. Djokovic stated that he "connects" with the Italian crowd and has always relished his trips to Italy. He will seal the year-end No. 1 ranking if he merges victorious in his opening round-robin match.
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