Djokovic win ensures end-of-year World No. 1 spot
Novak Djokovic will finish the year as world number one for a record-extending eighth time after beating Holger Rune 7-6 [7/4], 6-7 [1/7], 6-3 in his opening match at the ATP Finals on Sunday. The 24-time Grand Slam champion needed just one win or a defeat for young rival Carlos Alcaraz in order to secure top spot in the ATP rankings for 2023 and prevailed in a three-hour Green Group clash with spirited debutant Rune. Djokovic, on a run of 19 straight wins, has had an age-defying year, winning three Slams to become the all-time record winner of major titles. The 36-year-old came into the Finals in Turin off the back of his seventh triumph at the Paris Masters, his 40th victory at a Masters 100 event. Those are two more records to add to a long and growing list for Djokovic, who is hunting a seventh Finals title which would take him one ahead of retired great Roger Federer. "It means a lot. You could see that there were a lot of emotions on the court," said Djokovic. "I could feel it, I was very eager to win the match and get that monkey off my back... Obviously a big objective, a big goal has been achieved, everything else now is a bonus." Home hope Jannik Sinner got off to a near-perfect start by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, delighting the crowd in Italy's northwest. Sinner has had the best season of his career to date, winning four tournaments and is set to become the first Italian ever to finish a season in the ATP top five. The 22-year-old comfortably dealt with 2019 champion Tsitsipas in front of an enthusiastic crowd, not dropping a service game nor facing a break point in the whole match. "The atmosphere was really, really nice. It's huge pleasure for me to play here in Turin, in Italy," Sinner told reporters. "Obviously a little bit more pressure, but I managed it really well today, so I'm happy." (AFP)