The tennis community has often seen moments when Novak Djokovic has demonstrated why he is one of the ‘GOATs.’ The Serbian tennis star, who has already broken a number of records, achieved yet another feat during this hard-court season. While recapturing the No. 1 ranking in singles, the 36-year-old bagged a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title in New York. However, the Serb’s US Open triumph didn’t put an end to his quest for glory this season, as he clinched another title in the following event, the Paris Masters.
Given his recent phenomenal form, the current world No. 1 will be entering the Nitto ATP Finals as the favorite to prevail in the season-ending championship. However, it will be a challenging task for the ‘Djoker’ as he will be up against other top-ranked players in the men’s circuit. Among them, there are three major threats that the reigning US Open champion needs to be wary of during the prestigious tournament in Turin.
Holger Rune can pose a challenge to Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals
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In the group round fixtures of the indoor hard court event in Turin, Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic will lock horns for the fifth time on the tour. It will be a challenging matchup for the 24-time singles Grand Slam champion, as he is currently tied in his H2H record against his young Danish colleague. While they have already enjoyed two victories against each other, the ATP superstars will now face each other in order to move one step closer to the latter stages of the Nitto ATP Finals.
In their very first meeting on the court, the ‘Djoker’ breezed past the Dane in the opening round of the Grand Slam event in New York. However, in their next two encounters in Rome and Paris, it was Rune who swept aside the ATP legend and bagged two consecutive victories against Djokovic. During the recently concluded Paris Masters, the 36-year-old equaled his H2H record against Rune by emerging victorious in their quarterfinal match.
Jannik Sinner can also pull off an upset against Novak Djokovic
The Italian tennis youngster has been on a roll this season, having recently extended his ATP singles championship tally to ten. On top of this, Jannik Sinner has now achieved the number 4 ranking in singles owing to his title-winning runs in recent tournaments in Vienna and Beijing. Apart from this, the 22-year-old also enjoyed triumphant campaigns in the ATP Masters 1000 events in Canada and the Open Sud de France.
In the process of clinching four titles this season, the Italian has also outclassed the two big guns on the men’s tour, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz. Given his recent form and success during the hard court season, the current world No. 4 can pose a major threat to Djokovic at the upcoming ATP Finals.
Daniil Medvedev is a formidable opponent on the hard courts
The Russian tennis star, who is the third seed, has clinched five wins against the ‘Djoker,’ which is more than any other player participating in this season’s round-robin event. Particularly on the hard courts, Medvedev has been a formidable competitor, as he is the only one who has defeated the Serb on the surface this season.
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It happened during the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship, where the 27-year-old thumped Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. After overcoming the 24-time singles Grand Slam champion in the semifinals, Medvedev went on to lift the hard court title in Dubai. Apart from this, the Russian also stunned his Serbian rival in the 2021 US Open, where he also emerged triumphant after winning the championship match 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Who among these ATP superstars do you think can pull off an upset against Novak Djokovic at the upcoming tournament in Turin? Let us know in the comments section.
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