Novak Djokovic will compete at the Paris Masters next week. The 21-time Major winner joins Rafael Nadal in the final Masters 1000 of the season, seeking his 39th title at that level and his seventh in the French capital. Djokovic is on the training court of his tennis center in Belgrade.
The Serb claimed back-to-back ATP titles in Tel Aviv and Astana a couple of weeks ago, adding 750 points to his tally and picking up where he left off at Wimbledon in July. Djokovic qualified for the ATP Finals with those points and will be among the favorites in Turin, seeking the first ATP Finals crown since 2015.
Novak should be the favorite in Paris, having won 41 of the 49 matches played at this event. and stands as the record holder with six trophies. The Serb went all the way a year ago, beating Daniil Medvedev 4-6 6-3 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes.
Novak saved seven of ten break points and grabbed five breaks from six chances to emerge on top. Djokovic built up a huge advantage in shorter rallies down to four strokes, dominating his opponent’s serve to cross the finish line in style after a slower start.
Medvedev won two more points than Djokovic at the start, defending one of two break points and stealing Novak’s serve twice from six chances. Daniil got a break in the first game of the match after a loose dropshot from Novak and kept 15th in the second game thanks to a backhand error from the Serb.
Djokovic kept to love in the third game to put his name on the scoreboard and broke again after Medvedev’s double fault to level the score at 2-2. Daniil fended off a break point in game six with a forehand drive-volley winner and hit a winner in the next to earn a break and open a 4-3 gap.
Nole Djokovic won Wimbledon in 2022
Nikola Pilic, for his part, pointed out during a recent conversation with Reuters that Novak Djokovic is not “everyone’s cup of tea” as he hails from a “small” country.
“Djokovic is not everyone’s cup of tea because he comes from a small country and is hence not appreciated enough by droves of Anglo-American and European tennis fans,” Pilic said. “Whether someone likes him or not, he has a lot of character and personality,” Pilic added.
“He has done Serbia proud, he’s done heaps to improve the country’s international reputation and for me he is more than just a great tennis player.”
