Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic in the round-robin stage of ATP Finals but he admitted he was no match against the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the showdown final in Turin.
Djokovic claimed a record-shattering 7th ATP title in Turin after overcoming home hope Sinner 6-3, 6-3 in front of a packed Italian crowd. The support of the home fans didn’t seem to silent Novak Djokovic and push the World No. 4 over winning line as his legendary opponent put on an almost flawless display of tennis to shatter the dreams of youngster and hopes of the local crowd.
Sinner held his serve in a grueling 7th game but Djokovic came up with his share of stubbornness to hold at 5-3. The ninth and final game of the second set evoked the scenes of anticlimax as Sinner double faulted to hand Djokovic his 7th trophy at the year-end ATP championships.
Reflecting upon his first final match at the season-ending event, the 22-year-old admitted the World No. 1 showed up with his ace game in all the departments and never allowed him any chance to get a footing in the contest.
“I think today he played really, really good, especially in the back of the court,” reflected Sinner.
“Today, I was not that sharp in certain moments. Felt like also I dropped a little bit physically.
“When you drop a little bit against the best player in the world, he makes it look like it’s a big difference. For one and a half sets, he served really, really good.
“It was tough to play. But in the other way, I was enjoying out there, no? It was obviously a final. It is something different. He deserved to win today.
“He played better in the important moments and that’s it.”
Sinner is entitled to feel about the fine margins that separated the duo in the championship match but the truth is he was outdistanced by the Djokovic from the beginning to the end.
The Italian tried his best to keep up with the Serbian in the deciding match in Turin but couldn’t find a way and the duo now likely to meet at Davis Cup Finals, the former confessed that he still has to go a long way to beat the latter efficiently.
Despite the disappointment of losing a championship match at home, Sinner is hopeful that with the positive energy and strong team he has built around him, he is close to stepping on the top ladder.
“I think there are many positive things, to be honest,” he added.
“The season before, not this season but the season before, I got to know my body a little bit better. I had some mistakes. We solved most of the things. We solved it.
“We tried to learn how my body works. This season we worked a little bit more. We skipped some tournaments to work.
“I think we are doing everything in the right way. I think, especially the second half of the year, mentally I was much, much stronger. I was not complaining so much on court when things were going the wrong way. I think these kind of things, they make a difference.”
“Obviously every player is different. I think I can be proud of how me and my team, we work all together. My team, they know me maybe better than anyone else now because you pass a lot of time with them together. It’s kind of a family. We all got to know each other a little bit better.
“In some tournaments, you have a house. You’re basically 24/7 together. This is something really, really good that we understand each other really well. I think this is also very important.
“One of the things where I can be really happy is that I played many, many important matches in the biggest stadiums we have throughout the whole year. This is something that hopefully can help for the next season.”