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Sinner happy with year-end No. 1, keen for more: 'It's not finished yet'

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2024

Jannik Sinner clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours on Saturday by reaching the Rolex Shanghai Masters final. It is a big moment for the 23-year-old, but he made clear he will not rest on his laurels.

“’It’s a good feeling. I’m very happy to achieve this. It was an amazing season for me, and it’s not finished yet,” Sinner said. “Tomorrow is a great final ahead, first time here in Shanghai, so I’m looking forward to it, and then we [will] see how it goes. Hopefully it’s going to be a good match.”

Sinner will face four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic, who will try to claim his 100th tour-level title in the match. But the Italian will take confidence knowing he will finish the year as the No. 1 player in the world no matter what happens in the final weeks of the season.

“Being No. 1 in the world at the end of the year, it was only a dream just to become No. 1. Now finishing it, it’s also a different feeling,” Sinner said. “But now during the tournament it’s a bit different, so I’m just trying to be focused for tomorrow, and then we [will] see how it goes.”

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Could Sinner have imagined this? “Not really,” he said. The San Candido native began 2024 as World No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings and has focused on staying in the moment to rise to the top of the sport.

“You cannot predict the future in one way. For me, I always try to improve as a player. For me it also depends how you start a season. If you start it in a good way like I did, winning Australia, then you have much more confidence throughout the whole season,” Sinner said of his Australian Open triumph. “The season is going amazingly, I just try to stay there every match I play, trying to find a solution somehow. That’s it.

“I think it’s very tough to predict the future in any case, so I’m just trying to enjoy this moment, and also trying to improve daily, and then we [will] see how it goes.”

Although Sinner is the first Italian to finish year-end No. 1, he is not surprised that someone from his country could do it.

“I always look on my side what I have to do, and what I try to achieve. I think it’s very nice for Italy because, Italy, it’s a very nice country. We have everything we need. We have amazing food, we have everything,” Sinner said. “We have mountains, we have sea, we have different mentalities coming from every part of Italy, it’s just nice.

“I’m very proud to be Italian, and just bringing back something for the fans, and then they are giving me so much love, so I’m happy to be in that position.
But there is not only me, we are so many great players, so many we have in Top 100, Top 200. It’s amazing that the tennis is growing, and hopefully it can grow even bigger.”

[ATP APP]

As happy as Sinner is with what he has accomplished this season, he has no intention of slowing down. The top seed will try to claim his first Shanghai title on Sunday in front of a crowd he enjoys.

“It’s an amazing atmosphere… It’s nice to be part of any encounter,” Sinner said. “The fans here, you can feel the love they give to you. It’s a different culture, so it’s also nice to see this.

“I enjoy it, it’s amazing. It’s also a Masters event, a very big tournament. I love to play here, to be on site, it’s very nice. It’s for sure one of the best tournaments we have throughout the year, so I’m very happy and glad to have a chance to play here my first final.”

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Can Sinner stop Djokovic's pursuit of historic 100th title in Shanghai final?

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2024

For years, Novak Djokovic has spoken about how important making tennis history is to him. From chasing the record for major singles titles to weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and most recently an Olympic singles gold medal, the Serbian has reached every goal he has pursued.

On Sunday, the 37-year-old has an opportunity to check another major milestone off his list. Djokovic will try to claim his 100th tour-level title when he plays World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final. Only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) have accomplished the feat according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“It feels like destiny to fight for a 100th title here in a place where I’ve had great success in the past, where I have tremendous support,” the four-time Shanghai champion said.

For a large majority of his finals, Djokovic has been the clear favourite. That is not the case at the season’s eighth ATP Masters 1000 event.

Sinner on Saturday clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, becoming the first Italian to do so. The 23-year-old owns a whopping 3,270-point lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz, which he could extend to 3,620 points with a victory against Djokovic, who is in sixth.

To put that into perspective, Andrey Rublev, currently in line to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in eighth place in the Live Race, has earned 3,580 points this season. That is how dominant this year’s Australian Open and US Open champion has been in 2024.

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Sinner is now 64-6, tying his wins total from 2023, when he set the record for most wins by a male player from Italy in a single season in the Open Era. There has been no let-up in his campaign. Of the San Candido native’s six losses, five have come against Top 10 opponents and his only other defeat was to World No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, who last year was World No. 3.

“He’s in form the past 12 months, best player in the world, incredible tennis, just so consistent, and [the] player to beat, no doubt, particularly on hard court,” Djokovic said. “He knows my game, I know his game. We haven’t played since Australia this year. Yeah, I’m hoping for the best. It’s going to take my highest level to win.”

Djokovic leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 4-3, but Sinner has won three of their past four meetings, most recently in the Australian Open semi-finals. Entering that clash, 10-time champion Djokovic had never lost from the semi-finals on at Melbourne Park.

Sinner not only won, but did so convincingly, 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3. Djokovic admitted he was not near his best, but also credited his opponent.

“I think his serve improved a lot. He’s hitting his corners very well, and I think he [increased] his speed, as well. Serving bigger now and more precise,” Djokovic said in January. “He was always very calm, very composed in the court, but I think he struggled maybe to win the big matches, in the big moments. But now it’s coming together for him.”

At the time of that encounter, Sinner had never reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament. Now he is a two-time major champion and leads the ATP Tour this year with six titles.

As confident as Sinner will be walking on court Sunday, he knows the level Djokovic is capable of. The 37-year-old showed it in Paris when he bounced back from a defeat in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz to defeat the Spaniard for the gold medal.

“We always had some very tough matches in the past,” Sinner said of facing Djokovic. “It’s going to be a very tough one, it’s one of the biggest challenges we have in our sport.

“I’m happy that I can play against him in the final, it’s even more special, and then we see how it goes. I mean, it’s very tough to predict this one.”

[ATP APP]

Sinner, who has won 20 of his past 21 matches, is in better form. He has shown great consistency in both his game and results throughout the season. There is no secret about what his gameplan will be. The top seed will try to control the action with his unrelenting groundstrokes and break through the Serbian’s typically indefatigable defences.

Djokovic, who is competing in his first ATP Masters 1000 final of the season, will try to rely on his serve to battle through service games and use his defensive skills to make Sinner uncomfortable and try to break his rhythm.

Sinner, who can claim his fourth different hard-court Masters 1000 crown (also Canada, Cincinnati and Miami) in 14 months, has the form, and Djokovic the hunger for history. Who will prevail on Sunday in Shanghai?

“I’m in a great position to win the title, fighting for my 100th title overall, and 41st Masters [1000], against the best player in the world,” Djokovic said. “I won’t be a favourite on the court, but hopefully I’ll be able to come out physically fresh enough to challenge him for what may be [a] long match. I have to expect probably the toughest encounter of the tournament, and I have to be ready for it, so I look forward to a great challenge.”

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Djokovic maintains dominance vs. Fritz, sets Sinner final in Shanghai

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2024

Novak Djokovic is on the brink of a rare milestone at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Aiming to become just the third man to lift 100 tour-level singles titles, the Serbian maintained his perfect Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Taylor Fritz to book his spot in the championship match at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000. Djokovic mixed trademark, gritty defence with spectacular shotmaking from the baseline in Saturday’s clash to prevail 6-4, 7-6(6), his 10th straight tour-level victory against Fritz, and set a final showdown with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

“I came to Shanghai after five years of not playing in China, the place where I’ve always had great success, both in Shanghai and Beijing,” said Djokovic, when asked about the prospect of joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the 100-plus titles club. “[I’ve won] many titles, had great battles and great performances. I’ve said it many times, the support that I get here is tremendous and I’m very grateful.

“That creates an energy that keeps me going, keeps me running, so I did come here definitely with a vision and a desire to get to the final and fight for a 100th title. I get that chance against the best player in the world, and let’s see what happens.”

Chasing his 50th tour-level win of the season, Fritz dug deep in the opening game against Djokovic to hold serve from 0/40, but the American struggled to make an impact in return games for much of the semi-final encounter. He earned only two break points in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats, when Djokovic was down 3-4, 15/40 in the second set. Yet the Serbian rallied to hold serve, and Fritz was later unable to force a deciding set after letting slip a set point behind his own serve at 6/5 in the tie-break.

Djokovic had acknowledged a ‘strange feeling’ in his unbandaged left knee during his quarter-final victory against Jakub Mensik on Friday, and he again appeared in discomfort during the closing stages against Fritz. He received treatment from the physio on the issue at 5-6 in the second set, but he was nonetheless able to grind out victory via the second-set tie-break.

“It always takes it out of me, these kinds of battles, but particularly towards the end of the tournament,” said Djokovic. “At this stage of my career, I’m doing my best to recover and I had some issues here and there on the court, physically, yesterday and today. But I managed to overcome it. It was a stern test. Taylor is in form, playing probably the best tennis of his life coming off a Grand Slam final, and he’s playing really well, particularly on this surface.

“He’s serving big, so I knew it was going to be a big test for me. I did not want to get to a third set, and I’m just glad to overcome in two.”

[ATP APP]

With his one-hour, 56-minute win against Fritz, the record 40-time Masters 1000 titlist Djokovic advanced to his record-extending 59th final at that level, and his first of the 2024 season. The 37-year-old has now reached a Masters 1000 title match in 17 different seasons (2007-09, 2011-24), the same number as his great ‘Big Three’ rivals Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Standing between Djokovic and a record-extending fifth title in Shanghai is World No. 1 Sinner, who earlier defeated Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic leads the Italian 4-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, although Sinner has won the pair’s two most recent meetings at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals and the 2024 Australian Open.

Djokovic’s latest victory in Shanghai was another boost to his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the 17th time. The 37-year-old rose above Casper Ruud into sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by defeating Fritz on Saturday evening.

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Gonzalez/Molteni reach Shanghai final, boost Turin hopes

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2024

Are Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni rounding into form in time to seal a Nitto ATP Finals spot?

The Argentine pair on Saturday edged Adam Pavlasek and Jean-Julien Rojer 4-6, 7-5. 10-8 to reach the final at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Gonzalez and Molteni’s 99-minute triumph was based on a rock-solid serving performance, and they finished the match having won 83 per cent (40/48) of points behind their first deliveries, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

[ATP APP]

After arriving in Shanghai having lost seven of their past 12 tour-level matches, Gonzalez and Molteni will now contest their second ATP Masters 1000 final after they lifted the 2023 Cincinnati title. They have so far risen four spots to 10th in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as a result of their run in China, where they have boosted their hopes of a second Nitto ATP Finals appearance after they made their debut in Turin last year.

Awaiting Gonzalez and Molteni in Sunday’s championship match inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena will be Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic. The two teams have split their previous two Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings so far, with Koolhof/Mektic winning in January in Auckland before Gonzalez/Molteni avenged that loss in April in Barcelona.

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Sinner clinches year-end No. 1 in PIF ATP Rankings

  • Posted: Oct 12, 2024

Jannik Sinner has clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours — becoming the first Italian to do so — following his semi-final win at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

On 10 June, Sinner became the first man or woman from his country to reach World No. 1 in singles since computerised rankings were introduced in 1973. He has not relinquished his place since and will retain it at least through the end of the season.

“It’s amazing. It’s something you dream of when you are a kid, when you are young, just to reach the No. 1. Now having the year-end, it’s also a different and special feeling,” Sinner said. “It means so much to me, obviously. This is something I could not accomplish without all the people I have around — the family and friends and also a big credit to my team.”

The 23-year-old is the 19th player to claim year-end World No. 1 and just the fourth active player, joining Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner won the Australian Open to begin his season and has not looked back since. After a battle with Alcaraz through the middle of the season for year-end No. 1 honours, he has pulled away to claim the prestigious award. He has captured an ATP Tour-leading six titles — including his first major triumphs at the Australian Open and US Open — and will try to win his seventh trophy of 2024 on Sunday in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final.

By emerging victorious in Melbourne and New York, Sinner became just the third man in the Open Era to claim his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season. He was the first to accomplish the feat since Guillermo Vilas in 1977.

[ATP APP]

Sinner entered the season with momentum after reaching the championship match at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals and leading Italy to Davis Cup glory. Beginning 2024 at World No. 4, he rallied from a two-set deficit to Daniil Medvedev in the final at Melbourne Park to become just the second Italian man to claim Grand Slam glory in the Open Era, joining Adriano Panatta (1976 Roland Garros).

Sinner would win his first 16 matches of the year and his record for the season stands at 64-6. The 23-year-old has matched his personal-best wins total from last year, when he set the record for most wins by a male player from his country in a single season in the Open Era.

The San Candido native entered the year with one ATP Masters 1000 title and has added two more, lifting trophies in Miami and Cincinnati. He also claimed crowns at ATP 500 events in Rotterdam and Halle.

By adding to his majors total at the US Open, Sinner became one of only four players who have triumphed at the Australian Open and US Open on hard court in the same season. The other three are Djokovic, Roger Federer and Mats Wilander.

Sinner has already held World No. 1 for 17 weeks and will continue adding to his total. He ranks 18th among the 29 players who have reached World No. 1 in weeks at the top of the sport.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Finishing the season as the best player in the world is the ultimate achievement in tennis. Jannik’s determination and tireless work ethic earn him his place in history as the first Italian to achieve this milestone. At just 23 years old, he should be immensely proud of everything he has accomplished. We look forward with great excitement to watching his journey continue.”

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Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek salute Rafael Nadal

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2024

After Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis at the end of the 2024 season on Thursday, WTA stars Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff shared heartwarming messages for the former World No. 1, who spent 209 weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings during his career.

Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion who considers Nadal her role model, posted a video on social media, sharing thoughts about her “biggest inspiration” and his impact on her career.

“You were and still are the biggest inspiration that I ever had in tennis. The reason why sometimes I got extra motivated and kept pushing myself,” the four-time Roland Garros champion shared.

Calling it a special day for every tennis fan, Swiatek thanked the 22-time Grand Slam champion for humility and wished him the best as he prepares for the next chapter of his life.

“I hope you’re going to enjoy the other part of your life and hopefully maybe some other career, because the sky is the limit for you now. And I hope you are going to spend a lot of time now with your close ones and your family.”

Coco Gauff also shared her thoughts about the 14-time Roland Garros champion at the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open WTA tournament in China.

“He is my favorite person to watch practice honestly,” the 2023 US Open champion said. “The intensity that he brought on the practice court and obviously on the match court is something that I felt like watching is unmatched.

“Watching the video, a bit emotional because Rafa is all I’ve known growing up. Pretty sure he’s won Roland Garros for the majority of my life,” shared Gauff, born three years after Nadal turned pro in 2001.

[ATP APP]

She also recalled fond memories of Nadal from this year’s Paris Olympics.

“Actually, I don’t think I posted the picture, but we traded pins at the Olympics, which is the one thing I wanted to do. He was super nice with that. We were both waiting on the shuttle. It was the last shuttle of the day, like 11 p.m. I asked him if I could have one of his pins. He gave me one.

“Carlos [Alcaraz] was there, too, but Carlos didn’t have any pins. I only took the picture with Rafa there. I was like, ‘Carlos, you can’t be in it because you didn’t give me a pin,” she shared, laughing.

“Yeah, just something like that I’ll remember. And something I’ll definitely tell my kids because it meant a lot to me.”

The Spaniard, who has a 12-7 record for the 2024 season according to Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, will play his final event at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November.

– with assistance from WTATennis.com.

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Korda undergoes elbow surgery

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2024

Top 20 American Sebastian Korda has undergone surgery on his right elbow, the 24-year-old posted on Instagram Friday.

No. 19 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Korda has not played since suffering a straight-sets loss to Czech Tomas Machac in the second round of the US Open.

[ATP APP]

Korda posted: “I wanted to update you all — I’ve been dealing with some elbow issues and my team and I decided surgery was the best option. Everything went great, and I can’t wait to be back on court soon. Thanks for all your support!”

The 24-year-old, who won the Washington ATP 500 title in August, is 31-19 on the season according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index.

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Federer, Djokovic reunite in Shanghai: 'Hey Old Man'

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2024

Roger Federer returned to the Rolex Shanghai Masters for an exhibition doubles match on Friday.

Before stepping on court, the Swiss legend ran into old rival Novak Djokovic as the 99-time tour-level champion walked out of his quarter-final match after battling past #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik.

“Hey Old Man,” said Federer to the Serb, laughing, as the two shook hands.

 

The 20-time Grand Slam champion who won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai twice (2014, 2017), partnered with Eason Chan, a prominent Chinese singer and actor. They defeated the pairing of top Chinese player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zhang Zhizhen, and table tennis champion Fan Zhendong in a light-hearted match. The four treated fans with some great exchanges.

[ATP APP]

The 103-time tour-level titlist also visited Shanghai last year to receive the Icon Athlete Award from the tournament, celebrating his illustrious career.

During their careers, Djokovic and Federer played 50 times, with the Serbian taking their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 27-23.

-Additional reporting from Vivienne Christie, courtesy Rolex Shanghai Masters.

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