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TURIN, Italy — It won’t be Novak Djokovic’s record-breaking sixth win at the ATP Finals.
Alexander Zverev made sure of this. So did top-ranked Djokovic’s unusually shaky play early in the third set, giving the long-limbed, big-serving Zverev all the elbowroom he needed to close the 7-6(4), 4-6, 6- gave. 3 wins in the semi-finals on Saturday night.
It was also unclear whether Djokovic would attempt to win the record-breaking 10th singles title at the 2022 Australian Open, the first player-mandated Grand Slam tournament. fully grafted against Covid-19. Djokovic, who refused to disclose his vaccination status, said he would decide to travel to Australia after he announced the tournament policy. It went official on Saturday, but chose to remain neutral about the event, which will kick off on January 17.
“Now that I know, we’ll have to wait and see,” he said.
Djokovic had a remarkably successful season, winning three major singles titles and finishing the US Open Grand Slam in one game. The 34-year-old, once considered an advanced tennis age, will finish the year at #1 for the record. seventh time.
But he’s also increasingly under threat from the younger and taller set, whether outdoors or indoors, on the hard courts. Zverev and Daniel Medvedev In the last four months, Djokovic’s grand plans and tennis dreams have turned upside down in turn. It’s hardly surprising that second-placed Medvedev and third-placed Zverev faced off in the final on Sunday.
“We’re not that young anymore, 25 and 24, not that young,” said Zverev, who turned 24 in April. “And we’re starting to break. He’s a Grand Slam champion and I’m an Olympic gold medalist, and maybe tomorrow we can both jeopardize that.”
Both successes came at Djokovic’s expense. Djokovic has never won an Olympic gold medal and was on the brink when he faced Zverev in the semi-finals of the Tokyo Games in July. He won the first set 6-1 and gave an early service break in the third set. But Djokovic’s level dropped significantly from there.
“It was almost like he wanted it too much,” Roger Federer, one of Djokovic’s career rivals, said in an interview with Sky Italia on Saturday.
Zverev walked to win Golden medal, the most important victory of his career.
Frustrated, Djokovic didn’t play again until the US Open, where he won his first six games, including a five-set thriller, against Zverev in the semi-finals to give him a chance to play against Medvedev at the Grand Slam.
But instead of breaking his ties with Federer and Rafael Nadal by winning his 21st Grand Slam singles title, Djokovic became the first Grand Slam champion for Medvedev.
Djokovic believes Zverev, who has yet to beat Djokovic in a five-set match, is close to joining the club. After watching Zverev serve on the clutch and frequently beating Djokovic in grueling, high-speed starting rallies, the idea was hard to dismiss.
“He’s a great guy, a great tennis player, I’m sure I’ll be a Grand Slam champion soon,” Djokovic said after hugging Zverev at the net late Saturday night.
It was easy to forget festively that Zverev was under investigation for the men’s tour. claims Physical abuse from an ex-girlfriend, Olya Sharypova. He did not make any formal charges, but gave a detailed account of the charges in media interviews. Zverev, who denied harassing Sharypova, welcomed the investigation as a chance to clear his name. he succeeded thrive in court despite the controversy.
But the Olympic gold medal boosted Zverev’s confidence. It is a happy memory as he often wears the German Olympic team warm-up suit before the matches.
Both he and Medvedev won the ATP Finals when this exclusive, traveling eight-person event was held at London’s O2 Arena: Zverev in 2018 and Medvedev in 2020. They will now face each other in Turin, where the tournament is being moved. It’s a five-year run with a similar dark blue color scheme and a pretty fast court.
Both are 6 feet 6′ tall with great wingspan and excellent locomotion, which can make them exceedingly difficult to smash. But Medvedev had a clear advantage, winning his last five games of the past two seasons, including this week’s rematch, by the narrowest margins 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6). .
The pace of the field doesn’t make Medvedev’s massive and flexible serve easy to handle. But circumstances may help Zverev’s larger serve more. The best comeback of the game, Djokovic was able to crack him only once on Saturday, and even when Djokovic correctly guessed the location of Zverev’s serves, he often failed to reach them.
Djokovic also served perfectly for most of the match, using his precision to hit 15 aces against Zverev’s 14. But in the third set, he played his worst serve play at 1-2, starting with a smooth forehand winner and then making three consecutive forehands. non-essential mistakes and eventually losing the angry game with a backhand on the net.
“I really wasted the game in that game,” Djokovic said. “Four imperative mistakes. In conditions like these, where you have one of the largest servers in the game, it’s very difficult to come back from that.”
The result deepened Djokovic’s drought at the ATP Finals, which he last won in 2015. While Djokovic has broken or matched some of Federer’s most important records, including #1 overall, Federer still holds the record for most victories in the ATP Finals. with six.
Federer, now 40 set aside indefinitely Djokovic continues to play, although perhaps not in Australia in 2022, due to major knee surgery. He has made it clear that he does not believe the Covid vaccine is necessary, but nevertheless, the Victorian state government in Australia has made the vaccine mandatory. Australian Open.
Zverev did everything to compliment and support Djokovic on Saturday: “The greatest player of all time and people sometimes forget that,” Zverev said in a post-match interview. “I think everyone should appreciate that.”
He said he hoped Djokovic could play in Melbourne but accepted the hurdles.
“Look, this is very difficult because it’s very political,” said Zverev. “This is about the ongoing virus, right? This is not about a tournament or tennis. We are visiting a different country. At the end of the day, the country lets us in. We have to follow the rules and follow the guidelines.”
Tournament officials have given no indication that any exceptions will be made to the policy, and the Australian Open could be the first of many tour events to require vaccinations next season.
“At the end of the day, I’m number 3 in the world, so it’s easier to win the tournament if he doesn’t play,” Zverev said.
However, although Djokovic played in Turin, he no longer competes. The trophy will go to one of the other two young men who shine the most on the pitch in 2021.
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