ATP Finals: Novak Djokovic secures year-end No 1 ranking for eighth time, following opening match victory
- Djokovic defeats Finals debutant Holger Rune in a quest for his seventh title
- “If I want to keep up with these youngsters I’m going to have to work even harder,” the 36-year-old Djokovic says
Novak Djokovic will finish the year as world No 1 for a record-extending eighth time after beating Holger Rune 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 in his opening match at the ATP Finals on Sunday in Italy.
The 24-time grand slam champion needed just one win or a defeat for young rival Carlos Alcaraz to secure top spot in the ATP rankings for 2023 and prevailed in a three-hour Green Group clash with spirited debutant Rune.
Djokovic, on a run of 19 straight wins, has had an age-defying year, winning three grand slams to become the all-time record winner of major titles.
The 36-year-old came into the Finals in Turin off the back of his seventh triumph at the Paris Masters, his 40th victory at a Masters 100 event.
Those are two more records to add to a long and growing list for Djokovic, who is hunting a seventh Finals title which would take him one ahead of retired great Roger Federer.
“It means a lot. You could see that there were a lot of emotions on the court,” Djokovic said.