After four months, three titles and 19 straight victories, Novak Djokovic suffered a first defeat since the Wimbledon final. On a night of febrile passion at the ATP Finals in Turin, Jannik Sinner produced one of the finest performances of his career to claim a landmark first win over the Serbian world No 1.
As might be expected against a man who has just clinched the year-end top ranking for an unprecedented eighth time, Sinner’s path to a potentially transformative 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2) victory was fraught with challenges and setbacks.
A set to the good after capitalising on a rare wobble from Djokovic towards the end of the first set, the Italian was twice pegged back with the finish line in sight, first after taking an early lead in the second-set tiebreak, then when he led by a break in the decider. But with his mental resilience matched by the quality and conviction of his shot-making, the 22-year-old remained imperturbable.
That was more than could be said for Djokovic, who spent much of the evening sarcastically applauding the jeers of a fiercely partisan crowd, not least after he was distracted while serving late in the first set, prompting a double-fault that paved the way for a vital break. Down the stretch he even turned conductor, orchestrating a chorus of derision with a flourish of his arms during a changeover.
Curiously, however, there was little of the belligerence that characterised the Serb’s fractious run to the Paris Masters title earlier this month. Djokovic has maintained from the moment he arrived in Turin that his chief goal was to secure the year-end No 1 ranking. Having done that with a three-set win over Holger Rune in his opening match, the 36-year-old cut a somewhat becalmed figure against Sinner, his frequent smiles hinting at an uncharacteristic insouciance. While his tennis was anything but nonchalant, neither was this Djokovic at maximum mental intensity. Sinner took full advantage, storming through the climactic tiebreak to seal his second win of the season over a reigning No 1, following his victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the Miami Open, in three hours and nine minutes.
“Putting together all circumstances, playing here in Turin against the No 1 in the world, he won 24 grand slams, with such an atmosphere and everything, I think it’s in the top, top [performances of his season],” said Sinner, who will face Holger Rune in his final match.
“Even if I would have lost today, the match was really good. Also for my mind [it] was really important to go close this match, so in my mind I know I can really trying to win against him also for the next matches.”
There lies the rub for Djokovic, who will face a player infused with newfound confidence should the pair cross swords again in the knockout phase. The suspicion lingers that the Serb will be a very different proposition in that eventuality. Yet, in current form, Sinner need fear no one.
Since reaching his first major semi-final this summer at Wimbledon, where he pushed Djokovic hard in a straight-sets defeat, the Italian has remained on a firmly upward trajectory. As last month’s title wins in Beijing and Vienna demonstrated, Sinner has improved virtually every aspect of his game since bringing on board the coaching expertise of Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill last year. Against Djokovic, who had won each of their three previous meetings, his quality was apparent in every key area.
Sinner not only limited the game’s finest returner to only three break points, dropping just one of his 18 service games, but also applied constant pressure with the length and penetration of his returns. From the baseline, meanwhile, the Italian kept Djokovic on his toes with some fine drop shots and achieved the rare distinction of regularly outdoing the Serb in the frequent backhand-to-backhand exchanges.
The latter ability was never more crucial for Sinner than when he found himself delivering a second serve at 5-5, 15-30 in the decider. It had all the makings of a signature Djokovic moment; instead, the Serb hit two crosscourt backhands short before screwing a third wide. Sinner’s remarkable composure – against the world’s best player, and with the eyes of an expectant nation upon him – did the rest.
“I was in the rally and should have stepped in and didn’t, and he did,” said Djokovic, who will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in his final group match after Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from the tournament with a back injury.
“You have to just congratulate him. He just played a fantastic match. That’s what I told him at the net. I think in the most important moments, he played his best game and he absolutely deserved to win.
“Obviously, in these kind of matches, very few opportunities are presented. If you don’t use them, then the other player will. That was the case, basically.
“I think I learned that in some moments I have to be a bit more decisive. I wasn’t today. That’s OK. Some you win, some you lose. Most of my career I was winning these kind of matches. Some I lost, like the one tonight.
“I don’t think I’ve done too many things wrong in terms of my game. He just was more decisive and courageous in the moments when he needed to be. He made some amazing points, played exactly the shots he needed to play. You just have to put the hat down.”
Tsitsipas earlier played just three games against Rune before succumbing to a back problem that has been bothering him for several days. The Greek sixth seed, who was in evident discomfort as Rune held for 2-1, withdrew after taking medical advice during the changeover.
“Unfortunately, I felt terrible on the court,” said Tsitsipas. “I did what I could do in the best possible way to be ready and fit for this match, but it didn’t work out for me.
“The pain was very big. I’ve gone through pain during matches in the past, and I endured pain, but this was clearly too much to handle. I had to take the difficult decision to do what I did.”