Novak Djokovic’s 19-Match Winning Streak Ends

By: Gyang Dakwo

World No1, Novak Djokovic’s 19-match unbeaten run was brought to an end on Tuesday by Jannik Sinner, at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.

Sinner, 22, was cheered on by a partisan home crowd as he won the group match 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) – his first career victory against the 24-time grand slam singles champion.

“That was a really high-level match,” the world No. 4 Italian said after the win.

“I think I was really brave and intelligent in important moments, especially the third set.

“I felt like we were both serving really well, so there were not so many exchanges, but when the exchanges were played, we both played really well.”

Sinner is part of a new generation of players threatening to take over from the likes of Djokovic, who is 14 years his senior.

There were times during Tuesday’s match when the Serbian superstar, arguably the greatest player of all time, could only applaud what his opponent was producing on the other side of the net.

The pair shared a warm embrace at the net after the match, as the Italian crowd applauded its home hero.

“I think the main difference is that, in the important points, he was going for it, he was more courageous,” Djokovic said.

“He deserved to win because, in important moments, I wasn’t aggressive enough, I wasn’t decisive enough. I gave him the opportunity to take the control over the points.”

The ATP Finals sees the eight top-ranked men battle it out to become the end-of-season champion. Players are split into two round-robin groups, with the winner and runner-up of each progressing to the semifinals.