Novak Djokovic – who won the ATP Finals previously in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2022 – has now eclipsed the record of six titles he shared with Roger Federer; following his 6-3 6-3 triumph over Jannik Sinner, the Serb said he wants a 'Golden Slam' in 2024
Monday 20 November 2023 07:58, UK
Novak Djokovic defeated home favourite Jannik Sinner at the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin to win the title for a record seventh time.
A ruthless Djokovic saw off Sinner in front of a passionate crowd, winning 6-3 6-3 to seal victory, after previously having lost to the Italian in the round-robin section of the competition.
Following his victory, the 36-year-old told reporters that he is eyeing a clean sweep of the majors next year as well as the singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, to claim a 'Golden Slam'.
Steffi Graf is the only player to have achieved the feat before, winning the Australian, French and US Opens, Wimbledon and a gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
"You can win four slams and an Olympic gold," Djokovic said. "I have always the highest ambitions and goals. That's not going to be different for the next year.
"The drive that I have is still there. My body has been serving me well, listening to me well. I have a great team of people around me.
"Motivation, especially for the biggest tournaments in sport, is still present. It still inspires me to keep going."
The 24-time Grand Slam winner said he was "very, very proud" of his season. "Four out of five tournaments... I couldn't ask for more to be honest," he added.
"It's a great reward for what my team and I have been through this year, being one of the most successful years in my career that I've ever had."
Djokovic asserted his control early in Sunday's ATP Tour showpiece against Sinner, producing a near faultless opening set – dropping just two points on serve – as he added yet another milestone to his incredible career.
The world No 1, who first won the tournament in 2008, now stands alone having won the title seven times, beating the record of six titles he previously shared with Roger Federer.
Throughout the second set, the Serb kept the foot on the accelerator, breaking Sinner in the opening service game and refused to let up despite some spirited resistance from the 22-year-old.
At one point Djokovic won 14 points in a row against a player ranked fourth in the world before Sinner briefly slowed the march of the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Sinner avoided going a double break of serve down as Djokovic surprisingly failed to make a passing shot and Sinner then had points to break back in the sixth game but could not convert either of them.
Djokovic also failed to convert break points that would have given him a 5-2 lead as a few errors crept into his game.
The crowd tried their best to energise their man but Djokovic moved on towards victory and a Sinner double fault ended the contest. Djokovic moves past Federer to stand alone as the most successful player in the tournament's history.
His win concludes a year in which he won three of the four Grand Slam titles and seized back the world No 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz and worryingly for the chasing pack he will head into 2024 looking as dominant as ever.
Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram defended their ATP World Tour Finals men's doubles crown in style as they beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3 6-4 in just over an hour.
The American-British extended their winning streak inside the Pala Alpitour to 10 matches after a blistering end to the year, which was sparked by the pair's triumph at Flushing Meadows as they claimed a third successive US Open title.
Since the first round in New York, they have won 17 of 19 matches – winning another tournament in Vienna along the way – and the sixth seeds certainly played like a team full of confidence on Sunday.
A Ram return winner against Granollers' serve on a deciding point clinched the only break of the first set in the fourth game, and they broke through against the Spaniard's delivery again for a 4-3 lead in the second before serving out for victory.
Salisbury said: "I think we've got better throughout the week. I think that was our best match, maybe along with the semi-final yesterday. I think we've served well and not got broken many times. We did that really well and managed to take the few chances we had today. I think we got a little bit of luck as well, but it seems like we get it in this place.
"We definitely didn't have a great first half of the year, and sometimes you need a bit of a shock, some tough times, to kind of kick you into gear and get you back to knowing what you were doing well, and how you were winning. We managed to do that and we've kept it going for a little bit, which is nice."
