Novak Djokovic is aiming to finish the 2022 season on a high note at the Nitto ATP Finals to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. Djokovic and the other eight stars had the chance to meet journalists during the traditional Media Day and greet fans on the Piazza San Carlo in the centre of Turin.
“It would be a perfect ending to the season. The cherry on the cake, but it’s a long way. It’s a beautiful day and it’s very nice to see many people out on the streets to welcome us in this beautiful city of Torino, where the Nitto ATP Finals was hosted for the first time last year. This is where we are going to have it for five years, and I think it is a great setting, a really wonderful arena. There is a hype around the tournament. It’s the last week of the year. It’s kind of a last sprint for all of us. From the very first match you are going to have extra high intensity, so each one of us is trying to get ready as best as possible but also to enjoy these few days before the tournament starts”, said Djokovic.
Djokovic has been drawn in a very strong round robin group against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Danil Medvedev, who won the ATP Finals in 2019 and 2020 respectively, and Andrey Rublev.
Djokovic will start his Turin campaign against Tsitsipas on Monday. They will clash against each other for the third in the past five weeks. Djokovic leads 9-2 in his eleven head-to-head match against Tsitsipas. This year the Serbian player beat his Greek rival three times in the Masters 1000 final in Rome, in the final of the ATP 500 in Astana and in the semifinal of the Masters 1000 in Paris Bercy.
Djokovic reached the 12th final of his career at the Rome Masters 1000 tournament. In the semifinals he beat Casper Ruud to achieve his his 1000th career win, becoming only the fifth player to reach this milestone. In the final he beat Tsitsipas to win his sixth Rome final and his 38th Masters 1000 title. At Wimbledon he beat Nick Kyrgios in four sets in the final to achieve his fourth consecutive and seventh overall Wimbledon title. With his win at the Wimbledon Championships Djokovic reached a total of 21 Grand Slam titles, breaking the tie of 20 Majors with Federer. He is just one Grand Slam title behind Nadal.
“I played against him in the past two tournaments in the final in Astana and in the semifinals in Paris Bercy. Both matches were quite close, particularly the one in Paris. I know that I am expecting a tough match without a doubt. In the past four or five months, I have won Wimbledon and most of the tournaments that I had indoors prior to the tour finals. I am motivated and I am looking forward to a challenge. I think the intensity is going to be really high right from the blocks I have to be focused like I am playing finals. Each match is going to be this way”, said Djokovic.
Djokovic is chasing the goal to equal Roger Federer’s record of six Nitto ATP Finals titles and win his first trophy at the end-of the year tournament since 2015. “I don’t feel like I am as young as the other guys. It’s been a while since my first participation in the ATP Finals, but I have been in good shape. You have got to play the best players in the world here. You have to play more or less everyone in the tournament, in this format, many times and hopefully that can serve me in a good way”.
