"Very important to start off well" - Djokovic after making winning start at ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic defeated Tsitsipas in his first match at the 2022 ATP Finals and he spoke about the importance of starting off well.

Djokovic's results at this event won't have a major impact on his rankings as he doesn't care which position he occupies if it's not number one but the event is very important for him if he's able to win it. He stumbled in the semi-final last year so getting to a good start was important:

“The first game was very important to break his serve. Starting with a break of serve is obviously a huge boost in confidence and a relief as well because we both knew it would be a tight match."

That was the only break Tsitsipas allowed in the entire match with Djokovic having to take the second in the tiebreak. He admitted that he anticipated both sets to go that way in a very close match:

“We have played some really close matches in the past few tournaments against each other. It was very important to start off well. I held my serve really well throughout the match. I played a great tie-break, very solid all the way through.”