After defeating Serbian tennis pro Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters, men’s singles tennis sensation Jannik Sinner made history.
In the championship match, Sinner defeated the Serb 7-6 (4), 6-3.
With this victory, Sinner became the first player since Rafael Nadal’s 2013 run to defeat Djokovic three times in a row in more than ten years.
Additionally, the Italian won his fourth ATP Masters 1000 championship.
Sinner’s Performance in the Rolex Shanghai Masters Final
With just one break point in 21 service games, Sinner and Djokovic’s final encounter was a serving masterclass.
The pivotal moment occurred when Sinner broke to take a 3-1 lead in the fourth game of the second set.
The Italian scored 22 victories against 17 unforced errors at the end of the game. He played 11 service games without encountering a break point.
Sinner Reflects on His Victory Over Djokovic
After his momentous victory, Sinner thought back on the game.
“It was a very tough match, obviously. Playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have, and I was very, very happy how I handled the situation,” he explained.
He added on to say he was pleased with his performance throughout the competition, describing it as “a very special one.”
Sinner has won seven titles so far this year. Additionally, he won his fourth Masters 1000 championship.
Other Feats Attained by Sinner
Sinner is the first man to defeat Djokovic in back-to-back ATP matches without giving up a break point, according to Opta.
Sinner has joined Jimmy Connors (1973), Ivan Lendl (1981), Pete Sampras (1994), and Roger Federer (2004) as the only other player in the Open Era who is 23 years of age or younger to win six or more ATP titles on hard courts in a single year.