Novak Djokovic on Monday defeated eight seed Casper Ruud by 7-6(4), 6-2 in Turin to start his bid for a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title on a winning note.
In the Green Group action, the top seed took an early tumble at the Pala Alpitour but recovered as he rallied from a breakdown in the first set, finding his rhythm from the baseline to fire 22 winners to secure victory after one hour and 33 minutes.
After the match, the Serbian was presented with the year-end ATP Tour No. 1 trophy. This is the seventh time Djokovic has earned the honour, passing Pete Sampras for the most year-end No. 1 finishes in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973). Djokovic has also achieved the feat in 2011-12, '14-15, '18, and '20.
Djokovic, who is looking to equal Roger Federer's record of six end-of-season titles came to Turin after clinching the 86th tour-level title of his career in Paris.
The 20 times Grand Slam champion has compiled a 48-6 match record this season, including five tour-level titles. He went 27-1 in major championships, with titles at the Australian Open (d. Medvedev), Roland Garros (d. Tsitsipas), and Wimbledon (d. Berrettini). Daniil Medvedev stopped the 34-year-old in the US Open final from becoming the first player to complete the Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.
( With inputs from ANI )
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