Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-3 6-2 the reach the championships match at the Nitto ATP Finals at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.
Djokovic now leads 3-2 in his head-to-head matches against Alcaraz. The Serbian player won his previous two matches against his younger Spanish rival in the semifinal of Roland Garros and in an epic 3-hour and 49-minute final in Cincinnati earlier this year. His win in the Turin semifinal was much easier than in Cincinnati. Alcaraz beat Djokovic in the Madrid semifinal in 2022 and in the five-set Wimbledon final.
“It was one of the best matches of the year in these circumstances playing probably against Carlos, the biggest rival I had this year. We had some epic matches. Actually, all three matches we played this year were marathon matches that went the distance. I think everyone expected, including probably both of us, that we were going to have a long night, a big fight, a long match. I just managed to step it up. When I broke his serve at 4-3 in the first set, I played a really flawless match until the end of the match. I played great tennis, high level, put a lot of pressure on his service games, made him play. I served really well when I needed to”, said Djokovic.
Djokovic started the ATP Finals with a three-set win over Holger Rune securing the Year-End World Number 1 for a record-extending eighth time and 400 weeks at number 1.
Djokovic was defeated by Jannik Sinner 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) in a 3-hour match. The Serbian star secured his spot in the semifinals with a 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-1 win over Hubert Hurkacz in the third round-robin group. Djokovic faced a easier task in his match against Alcaraz in the semifinal.
“The match could not be coming at a better time for me, considering that I maybe was not playing my best tennis in the first three matches of the group stages, but tonight I played close to my very best”, said Djokovic.
Djokovic is aiming to take a revenge against Sinner in this Sunday’s final. The world number 1 player has a 3-1 lead in his four head-to-head matches against his younger Italian opponent, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto and two ATP 500 tournaments in Beijing and Vienna. The 22-year-old Italian player has won eight consecutive matches against top 10 opponents since losing to Djokovic in the semifinals of the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament last July.
“You have to congratulate Sinner. He just played a fantastic match. That’s what I told him at the net. I think in the most important moments. He played his best game and he absolutely deserved to win”, said Djokovic.
Six-time ATP Finals champion Djokovic will make his attempt to become the third player in six years to avenge a group defeat in the final.
Djokovic avenged a group loss to Roger Ferderer to win the 2015 ATP Tour title. Alexander Zverev bounced back from group defeats to Djokovic in 2018 and Medvedev in 2021 to win the title match.
Djokovic will aim to break his tie with Federer for the most titles in Nitto ATP Finals history.
“I ended up the year as number 1 in the world, reached really all the objectives that I had, broke many records, made history of the sport. Of course, I am thrilled with the season, but I have one more match to go. Hopefully I can crown the season with another win”, said Djokovic.
Sinner has made the history of Italian tennis the championships match at the Nitto ATP Finals and will receive a strong support from his fans called the “Carota Boys”, who wear orange shirts and orange vests. Sinner will need to play another perfect match to beat Djokovic for the second time this week. “The matches before do not really matter. Especially with this format, you can win against one, but after you can lose. It’s different, but I am still happy that I can go one more time on the court here in Turin. There is a good atmosphere. Hopefully I can show some good tennis”, said Sinner.
