Alone in the world at the top of world tennis (we recall that he is completing an eighth season as world No. 1 and that he will occupy this rank for the 400th week in his career), Novak Djokovic was also there on the Pala Alpitour court in Turin, which hosts the Masters. It must be said that against Jannik Sinner, there was no match in the hearts of the fans. The Italian is playing at home and it feels good. This is evident, above all, as the crowd waits for the slightest opportunity to shout their love for him. Even singing it to him, as has happened more and more often since the start of the tournament.
If there was no match in the stands, there was definitely one on the court. And a sacred one. Because it seems that debunking the ancestor (36 years old) has become the supreme goal for the young Carlos Alcaraz (20 years old), Holger Rune (20 years old) and therefore Jannik Sinner (21 years old). Carried by a delirious crowd, the local hero did what no one had been able to do since Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final: beat Novak Djokovic.
Certainly, the Serbian sometimes appeared borrowed. He made unusual mistakes and harvested the grapes. There may have been, even if he will never admit it, a bit of decompression after the validation of his number 1 bib at the end of the season. But above all there was an impeccable Sinner on the other side of the net. The boy is renowned for his hitting and his consistency, but he was also able to show something else. Because, until now, his usual weapons had never been sufficient against Djokovic.
Sinner added variation to his game
This time, without denying its DNA, it also added variation. His drop shots often surprised Djokovic, in particular. And in the current game, it was often he who made the boss crack, as in this exchange of 17 shots in the tie-break of the second set to save a first set point. Djokovic would convert the next one to return to a set all in a high level match.
We could think that Sinner, like so many others, had missed his chance. But the young man has character. He didn’t give up and was the first to break in the last set. Djokovic broke immediately and the audience went into apnea mode. The two men did not give up and once again found themselves forced to play a terribly decisive game. Djokovic missed out on this exercise which he nevertheless cherishes. Once again, Sinner was very solid and came out victorious in one of those matches that can count in a career.