Djokovic is a roller, he beats Tsitsipas who abandons dreams of number 1

A road roller. Novak Djokovic does well against Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 7-6 and settles at the top of the red group, erasing the Greek’s hopes of ending the season at number 1 in the world. Stefanos, who had to leave Turin prematurely last year to rush to Switzerland to have surgery on his right elbow, could only have climbed to the top of the standings by winning the tournament undefeated. Opening break for Djoker who keeps the advantage and wins the first set. He decides the tie break of the second set with two errors in his innings that put Nole up 4-1. Tsitsipas manages to recover and get back on 5-4 but it’s the former number 1 who serves for the match and closes with an ace in an hour and 37 minutes to applause, including that of Massimiliano Allegri, a guest in Djokovic’s box. The Serbian’s next match will be on Thursday against Andrey Rublev who beat Daniil Medvedev in the afternoon.

Desire for revenge

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The Serbian, winner of Wimbledon (but without points), still managed to qualify in eighth place in the Race without taking advantage of the rule that allows Grand Slam winners to qualify for the Finals by ending the season in the top 20, is certainly the most motivated of the group . Nole, stopped for most of 2022 by the decision not to get vaccinated against Covid, has said several times that he felt humiliated by the exclusion, especially from the Australian Open, the Grand Slam that he aimed to win for the tenth time. Djokovic’s goal is to erase the bad memories of him by finishing with the Masters title, the sixth of his career, equaling Federer. “Thank you Italy for the welcome, you are always in my heart – the champion says in Italian, unleashing the enthusiasm of the Pala Alpitour -. I really want to win. I knew he had a very good serve, but I manage with reply…”.