TORINO | Novak Djokovic could once again leave his mark on tennis history if he were to win the title at the ATP Finals, which concludes Sunday in Turin.
• Read also: Grand Slam titles in his sights
With a sixth coronation – in eight finals – the Serb would equal the mark of the illustrious Roger Federer.
On Saturday, although by his own admission he was not at his peak after his more than three-hour battle with Daniil Medvedev, the day before, the former world number 1 defeated Taylor Fritz in two rounds of 7-6 (5) and 7-6 (6).
Two sets during which the players each time exchanged breaks of service. Two rounds during which Djokovic also used his immense experience to win over a player who was in his first participation in the end-of-season championship.
“I love that I was able to win against Medvedev after a long fight and then come back the next day without having had too much time to recover and beat Fritz in two tight sets,” rejoiced the winner.
Glad to still be there
At the first tiebreaker, “Djoko” got his first set point on Fritz’s powerful serve. A huge forehand winner from the Serbian completely thwarted the American.
The seventh favorite in Italy left for the locker room between the two legs. When he returned to the court, the momentum had changed sides. Fritz smashed it right off the bat.
And the American seemed well in control of this round, dictating the game from the back of the field as he had faced Félix Auger-Aliassime in this match without a future disputed Thursday.
But Fritz, qualified for this tournament under Carlos Alcaraz’s package, trembled at the worst moment. At 5-4, it was 30-30 on his serve when a fan seated in the stands shouted in midpoint. The 25-year-old then screwed up a backhand and offered a break point to Djokovic.
With nearly two decades of experience on the circuit, the “Djoker” was not going to let such a great opportunity slip away. To the sound of “Nole! Nole!” which resounded in the Pala Alpitour, he recovered at 5-5, then won the match after a hard-fought tiebreaker.
“I was hoping to find myself [à nouveau en finale], admitted Djokovic, who had not reached this stage of the tournament for four years. I am really happy to have the chance to fight for another trophy, one of the most important that exists in our sport.
There’s Novak… and the others
This final in Turin is the icing on the cake for Djokovic, who has only played 12 tournaments this season. Not vaccinated against COVID-19, he missed several Masters series tournaments, including Indian Wells, Miami, Montreal and Cincinnati, as well as the Australian Open and the US Open.
Despite everything, the 35-year-old is currently eighth in the world and he still has his chances of dislodging Felix, who is virtually fifth for now.
“When Novak plays, he’s the best,” Fritz conceded after the game. There is no doubt about it. When he’s not there, which has happened a lot this year, you see a lot of different results.”
“All the other players are at an extremely similar level and the victory goes to whoever plays the best that week, given the conditions on the pitch,” continued the eighth seed.
“Don’t forget where I come from”
And this week, Djokovic is there, dominating as Fritz noted. Since he remained undefeated during the group stage, the Serb will receive 6.4 million Canadian dollars if he wins Sunday, against Casper Ruud or Andrey Rublev.
If he had lost a match in the red group, he would have had to “settle” for a hoard of $ 2.95 million, in the event of a victory in the final.
Thanks in particular to his 21 Grand Slam trophies and his 69 other titles on the circuit, “Djoko” has already pocketed more than $214 million since the start of his career.
Asked if money was a source of motivation for him, the most dominant player of the last decade launched into a long explanation, recalling that he had grown up during the war in Yugoslavia in the mid-1990s .
“I don’t take anything for granted,” Djokovic said. I know what it’s like to live and grow up in a family of five, having nothing on the table, because of war, restrictions.”
“I experienced the opposite [de la richesse], he continued. It helps me in life, because I appreciate everything that happens to me more.”
But, he insisted on recalling, “every euro [ou dollar] what I won, it was thanks to a lot of work, sweat and tears”.
Djokovic thinks his ‘physical constitution is quite good’
Often sympathetic and talkative at a press conference, Novak Djokovic kindly made fun of a German journalist who asked him on Saturday how his “physical constitution” was going after his long match against Daniil Medvedev.
“My physical constitution is pretty good, I think!” launched the Serbian with a smile, after the meeting against Taylor Fritz.
“But my physical condition was obviously different than most of the games I’ve played here, when I felt a bit fresher,” he continued. [Samedi]because of my three-hour encounter against Medvedev, I felt a bit heavier on my legs.”
“Djoko” however believes that he could have played a third round without too much pain, if it had been necessary.
Tsitsipas: a smash towards his parents
Unleashed at a press conference on Friday, Stefanos Tsitsipas made the tennis world react by saying that Andrey Rublev, the player who had just beaten him in a match without a future, had “few tools” in his game.
And that it was he, the Greek, who had been the best of this meeting.
But a few minutes before, on the court, the second favorite already seemed to lose possession of his means, annoyed by his parents, Apostolos – his father and trainer – and his mother, Julia – a former professional -, who spoke to him too much from their box.
The best way Tsitsipas found to silence them was to… spike a ball in their direction.
