Top-seeded Jannik Sinner captured his ATP tour-leading seventh title of the season with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic in the final of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday.
Sinner recorded eight aces and 22 winners to dispatch Djokovic in one hour, 37 minutes. The 23-year-old Italian became the youngest champion in the history of the Shanghai tournament.
“It was a very tough match, obviously, playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have,” said Sinner, who has won three consecutive matches against Djokovic and improved to 4-4 all-time versus the 37-year-old.
“… 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.”
Sinner also prevented the 24-time Grand Slam champion from securing his 100th tour-level title. Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) are the only men to reach triple-digit victories.
“My main motivation comes from love and passion for the sport, and also the desire to keep competing,” Djokovic said. “These are the matches and challenges that I still strive for, to be in a position to play against the best players in the world, on the biggest stage, in the finals of some of the biggest tournaments in the world.
“That’s what I work for and why I still keep on pushing myself. That’s all that can be said about that. I don’t know what future brings. I’ll just try to kind of go with the flow to see how I feel in a given moment. I still plan to compete and play next season and let’s see how far I go.”
Sinner claimed the first set and improved to 24-8 in tiebreaks on the year. He then raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second to send Djokovic to his first loss in five Shanghai finals.
“I’ve had lots of success at Chinese tournaments in the past and hadn’t played in China for five years, so I’ve missed it and I’m really glad that I came this year,” Djokovic said. “I think I played some really good tennis, but congratulations to Jannik. He was just too good today. Too strong, too fast, well done. You’re having an incredible year. You deserve this.”
–Field Level Media
