via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Finals – Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy – November 15, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses as he celebrates with the trophy for his 2021 world number one ranking after winning his group stage match against Norway’s Casper Ruud REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Finals – Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy – November 15, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses as he celebrates with the trophy for his 2021 world number one ranking after winning his group stage match against Norway’s Casper Ruud REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
The 2021 ATP singles season will have Novak Djokovic’s name etched in history as one of the dominant seasons for a tennis player on-tour. The Serbian star not only clinched three Grand Slam titles but also went on to claim the year-end no.1 title for a record seventh time.
During his on-court speech after a stellar victory over Casper Ruud the round-robin stage match at the World Tour Finals in Turin, Djokovic answered the questions in Italian, as he was familiar with the language.
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The world no.1 went on to mention that he would like to continue for a ‘couple’ more years on the ATP tour, which was misinterpreted as ‘two’. It was no one’s fault as Djokovic meant that he would like to continue on top for a few more years.
Novak Djokovic provides clarity over statements on ‘retirement’ made on-court at World Tour Finals
Clarifying his statement on the same, the world no.1 mentioned in the post-match press conference that he would like to play as long as possible and didn’t like to stop anytime soon.
“Hahah, no, no, I didn’t mean it that way. I said COUPLE in Italian. I don’t have a number and I don’t want to impose a limit on myself. There is no reason for me to think about leaving tennis”.
#Djokovic on "wanting to play for two years": Hahah, no, no, I didn't mean it that way. I said COUPLE in Italian. I don't have a number and I don't want to impose a limit on myself. There is no reason for me to think about leaving tennis. #NittoATPFinals
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) November 15, 2021
Clearly, this statement provides all the clarity needed on Djokovic’s role on the ATP tour. The Serbian is in no mood to bow out of the game anytime soon. Looking at the way he has performed this year, it’s safe to assume that his dominance will continue on-tour in the near future.
Djokovic defeats Casper Ruud comprehensively in the round-robin match at Turin
On the other hand, Djokovic had a straight-sets victory over Casper Ruud in Turin. Even though the Norwegian managed to trouble the 20-time major champion in the first set, he failed to find the motivation once he lost the same.
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via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action during his final match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
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The Serbian ticked all the boxes right in a comprehensive victory over Ruud. At the moment, Medvedev looks likely to confront Djokovic at the year-end championships.
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Even though the likes of Stefanos Tsitspas had defeated the Serb before, the Greek’s own form is in a slump and his opening-round contest against Andrey Rublev might give a better idea over his future performances in Turin.
Also read: Novak Djokovic Drops Major Hint About His Retirement
