Novak Djokovic Seals Year-End No. 1 Ranking Thanks To Opening ATP Finals Win
For the second consecutive season, the destination of the ATP year-end No. 1 ranking came down to the final week of the season at the ATP Finals.
Except that this time, the list of possibilities was very straightforward for Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz who have fought back and forth for the top prize all season. Djokovic knew a win over Holger Rune in his first group match would be sufficient to lock his spot as the year-end No. 1 for an eighth year.
Alcaraz, praying for a miracle, needed Djokovic to lose all three round-robin matches, and for him to win the ATP Finals as an undefeated champion to overturn the deficit which stood at 1,490 points. It was too much ground to make up with just one tournament to play.
The Spaniard will reflect on a missed opportunity during the Asian swing when Djokovic gave him a virtual free pass for the top spot. But Alcaraz faltered in tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai. And a costly early defeat to Roman Safiullin in Paris-Bercy put the final nail in the coffin.
Djokovic achieved the bare minimum on Sunday in Turin, overcoming an inspired Holger Rune in a thrilling late-night opener at the ATP Finals. He won 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 in three hours. He was equally relieved that he managed to clear that hurdle while speaking to a reporter after the match.
"It means a lot. You could see there were 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. I won Paris, which put me in a much better position rankings-wise, and I knew coming into Turin I only needed to win one match. A big goal is achieved, everything else now is a bonus."
Djokovic is also guaranteed to crack a milestone 400th week as the ATP's No. 1 player next week following the conclusion of the ATP Finals - the most by any singles player in history. He'll now be aiming to win the season-ending championships for a record-breaking 7th time.
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