Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner's 2023 ATP Finals title clash creates history, becomes most watched tennis match in Italy
The 2023 ATP finals title clash between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner is the most-watched tennis match ever in Italy. More than six million people (on RAI 1 and Sky Sports combined) tuned in on Sunday, November 19, to witness the summit clash of one of the biggest events on the ATP calendar.
Novak Djokovic dispatched home favorite Jannik Sinner in the final match of the year-end championship to secure his seventh ATP Finals title. In the process, the Serb also eclipsed Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles.
Djokovic looked invincible as he sent the Italian ace packing 6-3, 6-3 in front of a raucous Italian crowd in Turin. In doing so, the Serb avenged his three-set loss to Sinner in the round-robin stage earlier this week.
Djokovic underlined his dominance right off the bat in Sunday's showdown against Sinner. He produced an almost faultless opening set, dropping just a couple of points on serve.
The Serb kicked off the second set by breaking Sinner in his opening service game, and never looked back from there. Despite the crowd's support for Sinner, his double fault put an end to the contest, handing victory to Djokovic.
"It is definitely one of the major goals for next year" - Novak Djokovic on winning Olympic Games
In a press conference following his victory over Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic stated that, apart from the Grand Slams, he hopes to win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics next year. However, he also emphasized the challenges in doing so, given the tight schedule and the frequent surface changes.
“It is definitely one of the major goals for next year, other than Grand Slams. It's going to be a very congested schedule with going from the slowest to the fastest surface in sport back to the slowest. Clay, grass, clay, then hard court. Obviously, that's a very demanding, challenging stretch of the year,” he said.
Djokovic also said he would plan everything out with his team in advance in order to peak at the right time next year.
“I'm going to have to speak with my team to see how we can plan out our preparations, training so that I'm able to play my best tennis where I want to,” he stated.