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Novak Djokovic delivered a masterclass to defeat home favourite Jannik Sinner on Sunday in the Nitto ATP Finals title match. After a peerless performance, the 36-year-old now stands alone with a record seven crowns at the season finale.

The Serbian was at his very best in a 6-3, 6-3 win against the Italian, losing just two points in his first seven service games to surge ahead and then expertly navigating a tense close to the one-hour, 43-minute match.

“It’s one of the best seasons I’ve had in my life, no doubt," Djokovic said at the close of a 55-6 campaign. "To crown it with a win against a hometown hero in Jannik, who has played amazing tennis this week, is phenomenal. I’m very proud of the performances these past two days against Alcaraz and Sinner, probably the best two players in the world next to me and Medvedev at the moment — and the way they have been playing, I had to step it up.

“I had to win the matches and not wait for them to hand me the victory and that’s what I’ve done. I think I played different tactically than I did in the group stage against Jannik, and just overall it was a phenomenal week.”

Djokovic was beaten by home favourite Sinner in the group stage but emphatically turned that result around in the final — a feat he also accomplished against Roger Federer at the 2015 season finale. Eight years later, the World No. 1 has broken a tie with the Swiss for most titles at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Novak Djokovic punctuated another memorable year on Sunday by etching his name in the history books once again.

The 36-year-old defeated Jannik Sinner in Turin on Sunday for his record-breaking seventh Nitto ATP Finals title. The Serbian had shared the tournament record with Roger Federer (6 titles).

It also marked his 71st 'Big Title', which is a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals. Djokovic owns the standalone record for championships at Grand Slams (24), Nitto ATP Finals (7) and ATP Masters 1000s (40).

Six of the ATP Tour-leading seven trophies Djokovic has earned this year have been 'Big Titles'. It is the most he has claimed in a season since 2016. Of the titles Djokovic has won, more than 72 per cent of them have been 'Big Titles'. 

Djokovic has won one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.1 events played (71/218). The player closest to him in winning rate at these events is Rafael Nadal, who has won one for every 3.5 tournaments played.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will meet on Saturday in a tantalising semi-final showdown at the Nitto ATP Finals. Since their first clash at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open, the stars have shown their games and fighting spirits make for memorable matchups.

Before their Turin battle, ATPTour.com looks back at all four of their previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.

Madrid 2022, SF, Alcaraz d. Djokovic 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5)
The 2022 Mutua Madrid Open was where Alcaraz showed he was more than just a talented player on the rise. After a memorable win against countryman Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals, his tournament did not get any easier against top seed Djokovic.

In the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter, Djokovic received a full taste of what Alcaraz is capable of. The home favourite brought a selection of power and finesse to the Caja Magica.

Alcaraz hit 51 winners compared to 24 for Djokovic, and sent the Serbian scrambling with plenty of drop shots. When it came time to seal the match, the teen did it in style with a booming forehand winner to upset the World No. 1 after three hours and 36 minutes and become the first player to beat Nadal and Djokovic at the same clay-court tournament.

All good things must come to an end.

A host of singles and doubles stars announced the end of their professional playing careers in 2023. On Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, the ATP Tour took the time to honour some of those who played their final match this season.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi welcomed Pablo Andujar, Thomaz Bellucci, Jeremy Chardy, Peter Gojowczyk, Treat Huey, Malek Jaziri and Oliver Marach with a speech in the player lounge at the prestigious season finale. The seven players also later participated in an on-court ceremony at the Pala Alpitour.

“It’s something special,” said Chardy, who reached a career-high of No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. “You work hard your whole life. When you were young, your dream was to become a tennis player, and from the moment you start to play on the ATP Tour, the time flies so fast. It went really quick, a lot of hard work, a lot of good memories on the court, off the court with other players, all the people from the ATP.

“I enjoyed my journey so much and I have no regrets. I just finished and I’m already coaching, I’m still on Tour. It means I really love tennis!”

Alexander Zverev ended his impressive 2023 comeback season in victory despite missing the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals, defeating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 Friday night in Turin to finish the year with 55 match wins and as World No. 7.

Having missed more than half of the 2022 season following his horrific ankle injury in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-finals, Zverev will be well satisfied with what he achieved during the season, which began with just three wins from his first nine matches.

The German finished the Red Group with a 2-1 record but missed the knockout stages of the season finale because group rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev had superior sets-won records.

“I have to look back on the week in a positive way. I beat Alcaraz and I beat Rublev," said Zverev, who won 64 per cent of points on Rublev's second serve.

“After the injury that I had, to be back here with the top eight players in the world, winning two matches, gives me great hope. I’m as motivated as I’ve very been for next year."

The Top 4 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings will all be in action in a pair of heavyweight clashes on semi-final Saturday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Home favourite Jannik Sinner meets Daniil Medvedev in the afternoon session at the Pala Alpitour before World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz resume one of the biggest rivalries of the 2023 season on Saturday night in Turin.

[3] Daniil Medvedev vs. [4] Jannik Sinner (ITA)

Until six weeks ago, Medvedev and Sinner’s Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry was only heading one way.

The World No. 3 Medvedev had won all six of his tour-level meetings with Sinner prior to the China Open, where the pair met in the championship match in early October. The Italian dug deep in a pair of tie-breaks in Beijing to break his duck against Medvedev, however, and backed up that win with a repeat result (this time over three sets) to become champion in Vienna later that month.

Now Sinner chases a late-season hat-trick against his Top 5 rival on an even bigger stage. The Italian racked up a perfect Green Group record this week at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he reeled off three high-class performances in front of his passionate fans. That crowd energy, which was maintained throughout his wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Djokovic and Holger Rune, is something Sinner will only see as a boost on Saturday when he looks to overcome Medvedev for a final berth.

The transformation from Monday to Friday has been spectacular. Carlos Alcaraz has gone from being ‘mentally exhausted’ after his loss to Alexander Zverev, to reaching the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals by consecutively sinking Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev. The Spaniard will now clash with Novak Djokovic on Saturday in the semi-finals after a turnaround that means he can aspire to go all the way at Turin’s Pala Alpitour.

So, what exactly happened?

“I spoke to Juan Carlos [Ferrero] after the first match,” admitted Alcaraz. “Obviously, something was up. In the last tournaments, the people closest to me, and even those that don’t know me so well, could see that I didn’t have the same attitude as at the start of the season. It’s not a question of being tired or not, it’s about enjoying myself.

“Juan Carlos opened my eyes. This is the last tournament of the year and I have to give everything I have. We’re at the [Nitto] ATP Finals. We also spoke about the level and what I had to do. Once again, I realised that my game depends on whether or not I enjoy myself, whether or not I smile. At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing for me. Obviously, the joy and the smile have returned to my game and I think that was reflected in the matches.”

On Saturday, the two-time Grand Slam champion will have to enjoy himself, smile, and possibly do even more when he squares off against Djokovic for the fourth time this season (2-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series). In 2023, the Serbian won their first battle in the semi-finals of Roland Garros, Alcaraz returned the favour in the Wimbledon final, and Djokovic reaped his revenge in the decider at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury maintained their perfect record at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals on Friday when they downed already-eliminated Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler 5-7, 6-1, 10-2.

Ram and Salisbury, who had already qualified for the semi-finals, won 79 per cent (30/38) of their first-serve points to triumph after 83 minutes, improving to 3-0 in Red Group play. The sixth seeds will meet Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the last four, with Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos taking on Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Ram and Salisbury have now won their past eight matches in Turin, having lifted the trophy at the year-end event 12 months ago. Earlier this season, the American-British team won their third consecutive US Open crown.

Australian Open champions Hijikata and Kubler end round-robin play holding a 0-3 record.

The order of play for the Nitto ATP Finals has been released. Home favourite Jannik Sinner will play 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev in the afternoon (not before 2:30 p.m. CET), and six-time champion Novak Djokovic will face second seed Carlos Alcaraz (not before 9 p.m. CET) in the evening.

It is a stacked lineup featuring the top four seeds. Sinner won the Green Group and Alcaraz won the Red Group, while Djokovic and Medvedev finished second in Green Group and Red Group, respectively.

Sinner and Medvedev have faced one another twice since the US Open, with the Italian winning finals in Beijing and Vienna. Medvedev leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 6-2.

Djokovic and Alcaraz have quickly developed an intriguing Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry. Of their four clashes, one came in this year's Wimbledon final (won by Alcaraz) and another came in the Cincinnati final (won by Djokovic), widely considered one of the best matches of 2023.

In doubles, third seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden will take on fifth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos at 12 p.m., while defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will play fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin not before 6:30 p.m.

After just 80 minutes on court Friday, Daniil Medvedev suffered his first loss of this year’s Nitto ATP Finals. But the World No. 3 is not dwelling on the defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, nor does he have time to. Medvedev is keeping a short memory, turning his attention to tomorrow's semi-final showdown against home favourite Jannik Sinner.

“For sure I would love to win this match, but it didn't happen. Now I have to forget it very fast and try to focus only on tomorrow,” said Medvedev, who finished second in Red Group. “At this moment, the only thing that is left is I have a match quite soon, less than 24 hours. I have to only [think] after I leave this room, ‘How do I beat Jannik tomorrow?’”

Prior to October, Medvedev was 6-0 against Sinner in their Lexus ATPHead2Head series. But with the Italian defeating him in the Beijing and Vienna championship matches, Medvedev is aiming to end his two-match skid against Sinner.

[ATP APP]

“At this moment he's in top form. The results prove it. He can do everything,” Medvedev said. “He can serve-and-volley, but at the same time he can stay at the baseline and be very good. Some dropshots, slice, down the line, cross. He can do every shot and that's why he's a top player.

When Jannik Sinner defeated Holger Rune on Thursday evening, he did more than confirm Novak Djokovic’s berth into the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian also gave the World No. 1 a chance to continue chasing the history books.

Djokovic is two victories from breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most titles in tournament history. If the 36-year-old triumphs on Sunday, he will claim his seventh Nitto ATP Finals trophy.

Most Nitto ATP Finals Titles

One year ago, aged 35, Djokovic became the oldest champion in the history of the event. He was five years older than the previous-oldest tournament winner, Federer (2011). Djokovic first emerged victorious at the season finale 15 years ago, in 2008, when it was known as the Tennis Masters Cup.

Djokovic is also trying to climb other Nitto ATP Finals leaderboards. He is currently tied with Bjorn Borg (16-6) for fifth in winning percentage at 72.7 per cent. With a 48-18 record at the event, he could climb past Boris Becker (36-13, 73.5%) to fourth on the list. Ilie Nastase (22-3, 88%) is in first.

Carlos Alcaraz has finished top of the Red Group after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Daniil Medvedev Friday in Turin, setting the stage for a semi-final showdown Saturday with six-time champion Novak Djokovic at the Nitto ATP Finals.

With the world’s Top 4 players all emerging from the group stage, Medvedev, the 2020 champion, will play Italian hope Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final.

Alcaraz and Medvedev produced a high-quality shotmaking show at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, where the Spaniard increased his aggression and moved forward to gain an advantage on the World No. 3.

“I think the most important thing that I did today was to stay strong mentally,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “There were a few games on my serve that I was struggling a bit. His return game is amazing and he puts so much pressure on your serve, so I think to stay calm and stay strong mentally in those moments was the key to give myself a chance to win this match.”

A pivotal moment came when Alcaraz reeled off seven consecutive points in the first set, breaking Medvedev’s serve to love at 3-3. Alcaraz, who is making his Nitto ATP Finals debut, played with variety, often mixing in serve-and-volleys and drop shots to counter Medvedev’s deep court positioning. World No. 2 Alcaraz struck 20 winners and converted 16 of 21 net points to down Medvedev after one hour, 20 minutes.

There is a celebration of sustainability on show this year at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

At the Pala Alpitour’s Fan Village, visitors can find out about title sponsor Nitto’s initiatives when it comes to promoting environmental causes and reducing CO2 emissions. Interactive games, a quiz and participation prizes are on offer to help engage fans with one of the most important topics of our time.

“Things like this help raise awareness for this topic with people who might not think about it much or aren’t aware of it,” said tennis fan Sandra Müller from Germany, whose favourite players are Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. “It helps include more people in the theme of sustainability.”

Fans play a 'BATAK' game at the Nitto Booth in the Pala Alpitour's Fan Village. Photo Credit: Nitto/Siobhan Hennessy.

As well as an opportunity to take a photo with a replica of the Nitto ATP Finals trophy, visitors to the Nitto Booth can participate in a survey about Nitto, get a Nitto ATP Finals logo face sticker made from the company’s skin-friendly adhesive, and play a ‘BATAK’ reflective game, where they have to hit buttons to simulate the collection of CO2. Participants then receive tokens, which can be exchanged for a prize from a ‘Giant Gacha’ gumball machine.

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden advanced to the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals on Friday when they overcame Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-4, 7-6(5) in a Red Group qualification decider in Turin.

Meeting for the sixth time this season, the third seeds produced a strong performance on serve, winning 88 per cent (35/40) of points behind their first delivery to improve to 2-1 in Red Group play after 84 minutes.

With their 40th tour-level win of the season, Bopanna and Ebden have improved to 3-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. They have joined defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the knockout stages.

[ATP APP]

The Ram and Salisbury are 2-0 in Red Group play this week and face already-eliminated Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler in their final round-robin match on Friday evening.

ATP and Dunlop are proud to announce the extension of their global partnership, through 2028.

Dunlop will continue as the Official Ball of the ATP Tour, a designation the Japanese brand has held since 2019. Dunlop has established itself as the No. 1 ball on the ATP Tour, with close to half of all tournaments proudly playing with Dunlop. Events include the Nitto ATP Finals, Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM, and four ATP Masters 1000 events.

The extension will also see Dunlop become the Official Racket and Official Tennis Accessories (non-exclusive) of the ATP Tour. The brand will develop a dedicated ATP product line, including strings, grips, dampeners and racket bags, plus a special fan edition of the Dunlop FX racket as used by ATP Tour pro Jack Draper.

In parallel with continuous product testing and innovation, the partners will focus on advancing sustainability in tennis. Dunlop is currently developing eco-friendly materials for its tennis balls, increasing the use of recycled materials and reducing plastic in packaging – impacting resource consumption and waste on the ATP Tour and for millions of recreational players worldwide. This sustainability focus aligns with the ATP Serves mission and commitments under UN Sports for Climate Action.

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, said: “Tennis balls are at the very core of our game. The Dunlop ATP ball is a consistent top-quality product, backed by continuous R&D, which allows our players to perform at their best. We’re thrilled to build on our successful partnership with Dunlop and to continue innovating together. Our joint reach across all levels of the game has huge potential to positively impact players and the planet.”

The ATP Challenger Tour prides itself in being a springboard for young stars seeking to develop their talent as they chase ranking points, prize money and a chance to make it to the biggest stages of the sport.

A prime example is the latest destination of the globetrotting circuit: Danderyd, Sweden, a municipality north of Stockholm where 18-year-olds Jakub Mensik and Alexander Blockx are among those in the quarter-finals of this week's Good to Great Challenger.

Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Flavio Cobolli and last year’s champion of the 21-and-under event, Brandon Nakashima, are also in the last eight of the Challenger 75 event held at the prestigious Good to Great Tennis Academy, spearheaded by Nicklas Kulti, Mikael Tillstrom and tournament director Magnus Norman.

The Danderyd Challenger is the first event in Sweden at that level since 2018 (Bastad), marking the 46th country to host an ATP Challenger Tour tournament this season. Norman hopes they can be a mainstay.

“This is really important for Swedish tennis, this is something that has been needed for many, many years,” Norman told ATPTour.com. “Our goal first and foremost is to establish this Challenger in the calendar so players know during the end of the season, there is a Challenger in Sweden. Our vision is to create and start a few more Challengers in the region."

Holger Rune suffered his second three-set loss of the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday against Jannik Sinner, the 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 defeat ending his Turin debut in the group stage. While the Dane rued his missed break point late in the final set, he remained grounded post-match, offering a positive perspective on his year as a whole.

"I had a good season. When you finish in the top eight, you can be proud of yourself," said the Dane, who travelled to Turin as an alternate in 2022. 

"I think that I could have done some things better this year — actually, a lot of things. That's how it is. It's a learning process. Next year I'm going to try to learn from this year... It's a good experience to be at this level."

Discussing his first Lexus ATP Head2Head loss in three meetings against Sinner, Rune said he felt the pressure knowing that he needed a win to advance to the semi-finals.

"Obviously he played very free. This match, he had absolutely nothing to lose," said the Dane, noting that Sinner's progress to the knockout rounds was secured before the match. "That probably put down his nerves a little bit. Who knows. But yeah, again, there was obviously a lot of pressure on me in this match. I tried to handle it as well as I could. I was close, but not enough."

Jannik Sinner’s Nitto ATP Finals charge has taken him all the way to the top of Green Group in Turin.

The home favourite wrapped a round-robin stage at the prestigious season finale on Thursday by downing Holger Rune 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. In doing so, he also ensured that six-time champion and World No. 1 progressed to the semi-finals alongside him.

Sinner backed up his opening wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Djokovic with a courageous third performance of the week inside the Pala Alpitour, converting two of four break points he earned to register a two-hour, 33-minute triumph in a match that swung back and forth.

Sinner looked the more comfortable player for the first set and a half of the match but his movement appeared compromised by an apparent back concern from midway through the second set. Digging deep, the Italian took the match deep into the deciding set and rode the raucous support from the stands to clinch his first win against Rune in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two.

Now 60-14 for the 2023 season, Sinner is two matches away from winning five tour-level tournaments in a single year for the first time. The 22-year-old, who became champion in Montpellier, Beijing, Toronto and Vienna this season, is the first Italian to advance to the singles semi-finals in the 54-year history of the Nitto ATP Finals.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

Daniil Medvedev was one of the first elite opponents Carlos Alcaraz crossed paths with. The Spaniard faced Medvedev in the second round at Wimbledon in 2021, when the then-18-year-old Spaniard had only ever played against one opponent from the Top 5 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (Rafael Nadal, in Madrid, earlier that season).

Despite bowing out to Medvedev that day at the grass-court Grand Slam, Alcaraz left London feeling he had taken giant strides in his learning process.

On Friday, Alcaraz and Medvedev are due to clash at the Nitto ATP Finals in a match that is decisive for the Spaniard — a win will be enough to take him to the semifinals, while his opponent has already progressed thanks to his victory over Alexander Zverev on Wednesday night.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

The final day of group play at the Nitto ATP Finals will determine who joins Daniil Medvedev in advancing out of the Red Group. The third seed, already through to the Turin semi-finals with a 2-0 record, will meet Carlos Alcaraz in the afternoon before Alexander Zverev takes on Andrey Rublev in the evening.

With Alcaraz able to seal his semi-final place with a win, Zverev will be rooting for Medvedev in the hopes that his own qualification hopes are still alive when he takes the court.

[2] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. [3] Daniil Medvedev

Alcaraz earned his first career Nitto ATP Finals win by beating Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, improving to 1-1 in his Turin debut. Coupled with Medvedev's straight-sets win against Zverev, that result put the Spaniard's fate firmly in his own hands.

If Alcaraz can avenge his US Open semi-final defeat to Medvedev on Friday, the 20-year-old will join the third seed in the knockout rounds. 

“I will have to approach it differently," Alcaraz said of his mentality and tactics, referring back to their New York meeting. “Medvedev is one of the best players in the world... You have to play very well tactically, be patient and aggressive at the same time. It’s very difficult to beat him. You have to wait for the opportunity, but run and be calm, and get five or six shots in per point until the chance comes, while being aware that often it won’t.”