On the shut of one more historic season, Novak Djokovic enters the Nitto ATP Finals with a watch on breaking one other file.
The Serbian received three Grand Slams this season, equalling Rafael Nadal‘s all-time finest 22 males’s main singles titles on the Australian Open after which storming previous that mark with additional triumphs at Roland Garros and the US Open. He additionally prolonged his personal ATP Masters 1000 file by profitable his thirty ninth and fortieth titles at that degree in Cincinnati and Paris.
He’ll add to 2 extra valuable data —  ending as year-end No. 1 for an eighth time and passing 400 weeks at No. 1 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — if he can maintain onto the highest spot in Turin.
However that is not all that is on the road for the Serbian on the season finale. If he can repeat as champion, Djokovic will win his seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown and break a tie with Roger Federer for many on the prestigious year-end occasion.
Djokovic is effectively conscious of the data he continues to chase and break. However whereas acknowledging the historical past, he stays grounded within the current.
“I attempt to be pupil of the sport and maintain observe with the numbers, however on the similar time, I additionally need to have the ability to simply direct my consideration to the subsequent problem,” he stated after beating Grigor Dimitrov to win the Rolex Paris Masters. “So long as I am an lively participant, I suppose that is going to be the mentality I’ll nurture.”
The following problem would require each little bit of the Serbian’s consideration as he competes alongside the best champions of the 2023 ATP Tour season. After battling by means of a abdomen virus throughout his Paris title run, Djokovic stated he was feeling higher after the ultimate and was keen to show the web page to Turin.
“Each match goes to be like finals of a giant event, since you play a top-eight participant,” he stated of the Nitto ATP Finals. “Each match carries loads of [Pepperstone ATP Rankings] factors, carries loads of significance.
“It is a group-stage format, which we do not get to expertise in some other event, so even in the event you lose a match and even two, in a round-robin system you’ll be able to nonetheless undergo semis. I had the proper rating in Torino final yr, 5 [wins] out of 5 matches. I like enjoying there. I believe I join effectively with the Italian crowd. I am going there with good emotions, with loads of confidence. I have never misplaced a match for the reason that Wimbledon closing, so I am actually excited to hopefully end off the season on a excessive.”
Following a slender five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon — a outcome that in the end noticed him fall one win wanting a calendar-year Grand Slam — Djokovic has received 18 straight matches and three titles (Cincinnati, US Open, Paris). All of these matches got here on onerous courts, as did his title runs to start out the season in Adelaide and on the Australian Open.
He’ll enter Turin with a hard-court file of 33-1 on the season, his lone defeat coming to Daniil Medvedev within the Dubai semis. At 51-5 on the yr, Djokovic leads the ATP Tour with a 91% win charge. On the shut of an excellent season, he now turns his consideration to choosing up 5 extra victories in Turin.
“My purpose is to finish up the season on the excessive observe,” he stated in an ominous warning to his fellow rivals. “On the very best observe doable.”
