Novak Djokovic has played 15 editions of the ATP Finals. Only in his debut, in 2007, did the six-time champion fail to achieve at least one victory in the round of 16. Novak fell to David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal to end his campaign earlier than expected.
Djokovic bounced back in 2008, capturing his first ATP Finals crown against Nikolay Davydenko. The Serb has won at least one match in the previous 14 ATP Finals campaigns, coming close to Roger Federer’s record. Federer notched a win in 17 ATP Finals, and Novak needs at least three more years to catch up.
Djokovic kicked off his 15th ATP Finals streak with a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas a couple of weeks ago. Novak defeated Stefanos 6-4, 7-6 in one hour and 37 minutes to add his 42nd victory in an ATP Finals. Djokovic defeated Tsitsipas for the 10th time in 12 matches and the ninth in a row.
The Serb defended the only break point and stole his opponent’s serve once early on. Stefanos served well afterwards, but it wasn’t enough to keep him safe and force a decider. The Greek stayed in contact in the shortest set up to four shots.
Djokovic broke through in the longer rallies to seal the straight-sets victory and get off to a perfect start. Novak only gave up four points after the opening blow in the opening set, facing no break points and keeping the pressure on the other side.
He had the advantage in the longer exchanges and got a lone break to make it 6-4. Tsitsipas got off to a shaky start and lost serve in the first game of the match. Novak took the second chance to break after a loose forehand from his opponent to take an early lead.
Djokovic is preparing for the AO
Novak Djokovic has been recognized as the “best ambassador of Serbia in the world” by the association 321 Serbia. But having been unable to attend the ceremony, his father, Srdjan, collected the prize for him and delivered an extremely strong speech on Nole’s childhood in the former Yugoslavia.
“Novak worked during the bombings and the sanctions, the destruction of Serbia and the Serbian people. He rose from the ashes that were sprinkled on us. Novak showed that nothing is impossible when you really want it. In the worst moments, he trained under the bombs, but he did not give up.
With his work and his efforts, he showed that he came from a fantastic nation, the Serbian nation. Be proud to be Serbs and that Novak is part of the Serbian people”, proclaimed the father of the man with 21 Grand Slam titles.
