Top favorite Novak Djokovic no longer has his fate in his own hands at the ATP Finals in Turin. The world number one from Serbia defeated the Polish newcomer Hubert Hurkacz 7:6 (7:1), 4:6, 6:1 in his last group game, but needs help to reach the semi-finals.
The six-time finals winner Djokovic will only advance if Jannik Sinner defeats Boris Becker’s protégé Holger Rune (Denmark) in the Green Group in the evening. However, Sinner is already in the top four, something no Italian has achieved before.
“I lost a set. That’s normal,” said Djokovic tight-lipped after the match. In the event of a two-set win, the starting position would have been significantly better for him.
Djokovic initially had problems in the match with Hurkacz’s serve, who had replaced the injured Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece), but kept his nerve in the tiebreak of the first set. The 36-year-old gave up the second round, after breaks to 3:1 and 5:1 and 2:04 hours of play, Grand Slam record winner Djokovic converted his first match point.
Klaus Bellstedt, Turin Published/Updated: Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Thomas Klemm Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1
Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who won the tournament in 2018 and 2021, also has to hope for support to reach the semi-finals. The Hamburger is challenged after a win and a defeat on Friday evening against the Russian Andrej Rublew and needs a win of his own as well as a success from Daniil Medvedev (Russia) against Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) in order to move into the semi-finals.
