Novak Djokovic reigns supreme at the ATP Finals, equals Roger Federer's long-standing record in his 3rd attempt
Novak Djokovic reigned supreme at the 2022 ATP Finals, beating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the final on Sunday. Coming into the summit clash unbeaten, the Serb scored a comfortable 7-5, 6-3 win to finish the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. In doing so, he also equaled Roger Federer's long-standing record of six titles at the tournament, having fallen short twice before in 2016 and 2018.
The first set was evenly contested for the most part, with the 21-time Grand Slam champion waiting until the Norwegian's final service game to break his serve. The second set, on the other hand, saw the World No. 8 race to an early 4-1 lead, from where he closed out the contest without breaking a sweat.
It was a high-quality performance by Djokovic, who racked up 30 winners during the display. Ruud, meanwhile, managed just 17 on the night. In terms of unforced errors the duo were similar, with the Serb managing 33 and the Norwegian managing 31.
The former World No. 1 did not face a single break point on the night, and converted two of the five break point opportunities he had. He won a staggering 85% (33/39) of his first serve points and 69% (11/16) of his second serve points.
Casper Ruud, on the other hand, won 75% (30/40) of his first serve points but only 41% (7/17) of his second serve points. The Serb also hit more aces during the clash, sending in eight aces compared to four by Ruud. Overall, Novak Djokovic won 64 points on the night, 16 more than what the Norwegian managed to win.
Novak Djokovic to rise to World No. 5 after ATP Finals win
Entering the tournament as the World No. 8, Novak Djokovic will now rise to World No. 5, having finished the tournament unbeaten. With 4,820 points to his name, the Serb now trails fourth-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas (5,550) by just over 700 points.
Casper Ruud, meanwhile, despite falling to 0-4 in the head-to-head against the 21-time Grand Slam champion, will leapfrog Tsitsipas to move into the World No. 3 position. Ruud ends the year with 5,820 ranking points.
Djokovic will also take home a whopping $4.7 million in prize money, the biggest payday in tennis history. The year-end championships marks the 35-year-old's fifth title of the year, having previously won the Italian Open, the Wimbledon Championships, the Tel Aviv Open and the Astana Open.