Jannik Sinner won his seventh title on Sunday afternoon, toppling Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Sinner did not face a single break point en route to victory in one hour and 37 minutes.
The first-set tiebreaker proved to be decisive. Djokovic has been dominant in such situations throughout it has career, but it is Sinner who has been especially clutch at the most important moments in 2024. The Italian is now 24-8 in ‘breakers this season after taking it seven points to four.
With momentum in hand, Sinner broke for a 3-1 lead in the second. It was the only break of the day; in fact, it was the only game that featured a break point. The top seed served out the match with ease from there for his third Masters 1000 title of the year and fourth overall.
“It was a very tough match, obviously–playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have, Sinner commented. “I’m very happy with how I handled the situation. He was serving great the first set; I couldn’t find a way to break him. I played a really good tiebreak, which gave me confidence to start off well in the second set.
“It’s tough to tell you a secret about [Djokovic] because he doesn’t have any weaknesses. You have to try and use the small chances that he gives you, but there are not many during the match. He is a legend of our sport, he’s very tough to play against, so I am very happy.”
Sinner clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking earlier in the week and now owns a massive 4800-point lead over Carlos Alcaraz atop the ATP table.
Djokovic’s performance in Shanghai moved him into Nitto ATP Finals qualifying position, from ninth in the race to sixth.
