Jannik Sinner produced a dominating display against Novak Djokovic in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final to lift his seventh title of 2024.
The Italian, who is already guaranteed to finish the season as world No 1, was in red-hot form as he surged to a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 triumph against the 24-time Grand Slam champion to become the first man to win more than six titles in a calendar year since 2016 when Andy Murray won nine.
His victory denied Djokovic a 100th career title, although this week has been another reminder that the 37-year-old remains very much a factor at the top of the game.
“It was a very tough match, obviously, playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have,” said Sinner, who has now won four of his last five match-ups with Djokovic.
“I’m very happy with how I handled the situation. He was serving great the first set, I couldn’t find a way to break him. I played a really good tie-break which gave me confidence to start off well in the second set.
“It’s tough to tell you a secret about [Djokovic] because he doesn’t have any weaknesses. You have to try and use the small chances that he gives you, but there are not many during the match. He is a legend of our sport, he’s very tough to play against, so I am very happy.”
Djokovic was denied by some imperious serving from Sinner, who won 81 per cent (21/26) of points behind his first delivery in a high-octane first set which went to a tie-break.
Sinner made the better start, with a missed backhand volley from Djokovic proving costly.
The relentless pressure from the other end told as the top seed rallied to an ultimately unassailable 4-1 lead in the early stages of the second set before cruising to a straight-sets victory in one hour and 37 minutes as he recorded his 65th win of a remarkable season.
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Djokovic jokes he’s not used to seeing Roger Federer watching him play tennis and wished he could join him on court
Djokovic had been bidding to win a fifth title in Shanghai and said: “It’s been a pleasure to be here in Shanghai once again.
“I’ve had lots of success on Chinese soil in my career and I haven’t played in China for five years so I missed it and I’m really glad that I came this year.
“I think I played some really good tennis. Obviously congratulations to Jannik, he was just too good today, too strong, too fast. Well done for having an incredible year, you deserve this.”
Roger Federer, Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero were among those watching from the stands and addressing Federer, Djokovic added: “It’s nice to see Roger. I’m not used to seeing you in the stands, I wish you were on the court playing with us.
“It’s probably the first time that I’m playing in front of you so I had an added pressure today but it’s great, thanks for being here, and Carlos as well.”
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
- Shanghai Masters – ATP 1000 (October 2-13)
- Wuhan Open – WTA 1000 (October 6-12)
- Almaty Open, Kazakhstan – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Stockholm Open, Sweden – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- European Open, Antwerp – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Japan Open, Osaka – WTA 250 (October 14-20)
- Ningbo Open, China – WTA 500 (October 14-20)
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Swiss Indoors, Basel – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China – WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo – WTA 500 (October 21-27)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
