"It benefits nobody to have him at 7 in the world" - Andy Roddick reacts to Novak Djokovic's 90th title win
Novak Djokovic snagged his 90th tour-level title as he tamed Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-3, 6-4, at the Astana Open.
Coming off a nearly three-month break from the tour since capturing his 21st Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July, Djokovic showed no signs of rust as he secured back-to-back titles on his return, first winning in Tel Aviv last week before following it up with another trophy in Kazakhstan.
The Serb hit 15 winners while committing just seven unforced errors in his 75-minute dispatching of Tsitsipas. Djokovic won 87 percent of his first serve points and peppered Tsitsipas' second serve, winning 58 percent of his returns. He converted two of the five break points he posted against the Greek and faced none on his serve.
This near flawless performance caught the eye of former World No. 1 Andy Roddick, who noted how the Serb's No. 7 ranking does not reflect his level of play, which has not changed. Roddick also added that Djokovic, who improved his ranking points to 2,720 with his ATP 500 win in Astana, should have had the points from his Wimbledon win.
"I’m happy he’s (Novak Djokovic) putting these points on the board. It benefits nobody to have him at 7 in the world when his level hasn’t changed. He should have his points from Wimbledon," said Andy Roddick.
@TennisChannel @DjokerNole I’m happy he’s putting these points on the board. It benefits nobody to have him at 7 in the world when his level hasn’t changed. He should have his points from Wimbledon
Djokovic has played sparingly this year with his unvaccinated status preventing him from playing in certain tournaments, where he could have defended or collected more ranking points.
While Djokovic was able to participate at Wimbledon unlike the two Grand Slams in Australia and the US, no points were awarded in the event due to the banning of Russian and Belarusian players. Djokovic instead lost 2,000 points as the defending champion. He thus slid to No. 7 in the rankings.
Novak Djokovic secures 15th ATP Finals appearance, earns a shot at tying Roger Federer's record six titles
Novak Djokovic secured his slot in the eight-man ATP Finals for the 15th time in his career as he bested Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Astana Open championship match.
Djokovic thus joined Carlos Alcaraz, great rival Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and Tsitsipas in the year-end event where he will have a chance to tie Roger Federer's record six titles.
Improving to No. 10 in the Live Race to Turin with the 500 points he earned in Kazakhstan, Djokovic qualified via the Grand Slam champion provision which awards a slot to a current Major winner given he finishes between the 8th and 20th positions, according to an article on the ATP Tour website.