After the defeats of Nadal and Medvedev, the Serbian tennis player did not fail this year on his debut against the Greek Tsitsipas in the ATP Finals
Rafael Nadal had lost, Felix Auger-Aliassime had lost and Daniil Medvedev had lost. Then came the big favorite to take the Masters trophy this year: a stubborn Novak Djokovic who passed Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-4 and 7-6 (4)) on Monday to take his first Cup of Masters victory.
The Serbian champion, number one candidate to win his sixth title at the ATP Finals, gave a lesson on how to present himself at events like this. Far from Nadal’s lack of pace or Medvedev’s wavering, Djokovic dispatched a very fit Tsitsipas in just over an hour and a half.
A triumph forged in the Serb’s refusal to fail. He barely made twelve unforced errors against a rival who pushed him to a decisive third set in the final tiebreak a few days ago in Paris. It was the announcement with which he started his career in Turin Djokovic. Tsitsipas, champion here in 2019, is a very dangerous opponent.
But the Greek’s hook lost its punch when he delivered his serve in the first game. A mistake that is very expensive in this kind of track. With a muscular Djokovic dropping just four service points in the entire set, Tsitsipas was unable to recover from the break and was guided to a 6-4 that overly complicated the match.
The Greek, who had seven consecutive defeats with Djokovic, did not let go. Still, he refused to leave, he hardened his serve, he didn’t concede a break ball and one advantage was generated in the fourth game, but the Belgrade man survived and withstood the attack until the tiebreak.
It was Tsitsipas’ chance to act, but it faded too quickly. At the mercy of impeccable serve and precise raises to the net, Djokovic made a priceless 5-1. The Athenian tennis player took a breath as he climbed to 5-4 and played the ball to the roof of Djokovic, who didn’t bat an eye. A shot from close range, a service that could not be backed up and the first victory in the pocket.
This victory not only puts Djokovic at the front of the Red Group of the Final, but also places him among the top eight in the world and brings him closer to matching Federer’s record in the masters tournament. The Serb has shared five titles with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras and winning his first title here since 2015 will tie the Swiss’ all-time record.
Djokovic is also the first favorite to win in Turin, after defeats of Auger-Aliassime, Nadal and Medvedev, who was passed by an overwhelming Andrey Rublev.
In the Russian game, Rublev triumphed 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (7) after squandering seven set points in the first set and losing four match points in the third-party tiebreak.
Rublev complicates the standings for Medvedev, who will need to get his act together and win the next two matches if he is to hope to clinch his first championship title since 2020 and avenge the final he lost to Alexander Zverev last year.
On Tuesday, Nadal will return to the competition, who will play against Auger-Aliassime from 2 p.m., while Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz will not close the second matchday of the Green Group before 9 p.m.
Source: La Verdad
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