‘I Can Suspend His First Title’ – Novak Djokovic’s Playful Warning to 19-Year-Old ATP Player Ahead of ATP Paris Masters Finals

Novak Djokovic has continued his impressive run on the tour in the latter half of the season. The 35-year-old has not lost a match since his quarterfinal exit in the French Open 2022. Meanwhile, he had a title run at the Wimbledon Championships and later on Tel Aviv Open and the Astana Open.

Currently featuring in the Paris Masters, the 35-year-old has done incredibly well in his title defense. He had a thrilling semifinal encounter against Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas where he emerged victorious. However, the Serb lost for the first time after the French Open against the Danish tennis star Holger Rune in the finals. In the pre-match press conference, Djokovic gave his views about the young rising star.

Djokovic, full of praise for Holger Rune

At a very young age, Holger Rune has done incredibly well. The 19-year-old ranks 18th in the world currently. He defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinal to reach the finals at the Paris Masters. Before the all-important match, Djokovic spoke about the Danish tennis sensation.

“I know him quite well because we have trained on different surfaces. I really like him. Very nice guy. Great family. Great team of people around him. Fantastic work ethic that he has, and he deserves his success,” Djokovic said.

He further added, “No doubt that he’s the future of the sport, along with Alcaraz and some other guys. Hopefully, I can suspend his first title, Masters 1000 event (smiling). We get along really well. Good friends off the court.”

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Djokovic has already qualified for the year-end ATP Finals. The 35-year-old’s hopes of entering the tournament after adding another title to his name was dashed earlier today as he lost in three sets, 6-3 3-6 5-7.

Novak Djokovic vs. Holger Rune, Head to head

Djokovic and Rune have practiced together occasionally. However, the two have officially clashed only once on the ATP Tour before the Paris Masters final. Last year in the US Open, an 18-year-old Holger Rune went through the qualifiers and registered the first-round slot against the Serbian great.

In his first match against the 21-time Grand Slam champion, the teenager played well and won a set after conceding the first set to Djokovic. However, the experienced campaigner eased past Rune as he took the next two sets.

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This time around the 19-year-old has learned a lot and is a much better player. The way he has performed in the final has cemented his position as one of the up-and-coming stars on the ATP Tour. Who were you supporting in the final? Let us know in the comments.