Novak Djokovic faced a challenging encounter against Holger Rune and emerged victorious with a score of 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3 in the opening match of the 2023 ATP Finals. The Serbian ensured his year-end status as world No. 1.
The 24-times Grand Slam champion continues to rack up wins, securing his 18th consecutive triumph and starting his title defense at the Finals in top form. Djokovic extended his year-round record to 52-5 and guaranteed his year-end No. 1 ranking with only one match played in Turin.
It was no easy task for 'Nole,' as he faced a Rune who has shown significant improvements in this late part of the year, especially since partnering with Boris Becker, Djokovic's former coach, securing his qualification for the Finals in the last spot just a week ago.
With the risk of falling out of the top 10 in recent weeks, Rune elevated his level and seems to have left behind the inconsistent months after Wimbledon. From the first set, the Danish player held his ground against Djokovic in a closely contested match.
Rune performed at an exceptionally high level at the start of the first set, securing the first break in his third opportunity in the fifth game. Unfortunately for the Dane, Djokovic's response was immediate to level the match. Both progressed through the set without offering break opportunities to their opponent and settled the score in the tie-break.
Although neither found sufficient consistency with their serves, with 6 mini-breaks out of the 11 points contested, Djokovic seized the advantage in crucial moments and claimed the first set. Rune was more aggressive with 19 winners compared to Djokovic's 15, winning 75% of points with the first serve and 41% with the second—a slight improvement over Djokovic's 74% with the first serve and 38% with the second.
In the second set, Rune took an early lead with a break in the second game, but Djokovic once again recovered the break in the following game, maintaining the balance. With the score at 5-4 in favor of Rune, the Dane had a set point, but Djokovic had no trouble saving it. The set reached a tie-break, where Rune displayed a high level of play, winning the first six points and ultimately securing the set 7-6(1).
In the third set, Djokovic quickly took a 2-0 lead, but similar to Rune in the previous sets, he rapidly lost the advantage, and Rune managed to equalize in a few minutes. In the sixth game, the decisive break came for 'Nole,' who then did not give Rune a chance with his service. Although Rune fought in the final set, Djokovic secured the victory 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3.
Djokovic's triumph ensures he will finish the year as the world No. 1 for the 8th time in his career, an absolute record, surpassing Pete Sampras with 6, followed by Federer, Nadal, and Jimmy Connors with 5 each.
Novak Djokovic secures the year-end #1 ranking This will be his 8th year-end #1 finish, extending his record for the most of all time 🔹3 Grand Slam Titles 🔹4 Grand Slam Finals 🔹Back to world #1 36 years old & no slowing down Life in the fast-lane with Novak. 🇷🇸
