Novak Djokovic fires jibe at ATP Finals rivals as Sinner ends world No 1’s run

Novak Djokovic saw his 19-match winning streak end with a defeat to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals on Tuesday night in Turin as the home favourite scored one of the biggest upsets of his career. The 22-year-old edged out a tense three-set against the world No 1, which included two tiebreaks, as he became the first player to beat Djokovic since Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.

Djokovic fell to a 5-7, 7-6, 6-7 (2) defeat against the Italian as the Serbian tasted defeat for the first time in four months after a stellar run in 2023, which has included three Grand Slams and regaining his status as the top-ranked player in the world.

The 36-year-old is still in contention to defend his 2022 title with Hubert Hurkacz up next on Thursday after the Pole replaced the injured Stefanos Tsitsipas in the tournament.

Alcaraz will face the next challenger Andrey Rublev in his bid for a maiden ATP Finals success after a surprise opening defeat to two-time champion Alexander Zverev. The Spaniard could be on his way out of the tournament if he fails to beat the Russian and there will be pressure on his shoulders heading into the clash on Wednesday.

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Djokovic aims ‘target’ jibe at rivals

Novak Djokovic claimed his rivals have put a target on his back after his 19-match winning streak came to an end against Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals.

Home favourite Sinner won 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(2) in Turin to hand Djokovic his first loss since the Wimbledon final. It was also the first time Djokovic has lost at the ATP Finals since 2021.

Reacting to the defeat, the Serbian said: โ€œIt seems like Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are extra motivated when they play you. I think it’s normal, they want to get to where I got to.

โ€œThis happens everywhere I play. Everyone wants my head. Jannik got it today. But Iโ€™m happy with how I fought.โ€

Good morning!

Hello and welcome to Express Sport’s LIVE coverage of the ATP Finals tournament in Turin.

In case you missed it, Novak Djokovic’s 19-match winning streak is over. He was finally beaten by Jannik Sinner last night after the Italian edged a tense three-setter.

Carlos Alcaraz is in action later today as he faces Andrey Rublev, so stick with us for all of the build-up this morning.

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