Djokovic on cusp of matching Federer record

1 year ago 66

Novak Djokovic has kept his bid for a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals rubric live by beating Taylor Fritz to scope the decider of the prestigious season-ending tournament.

The Serbian volition look the third-seeded Casper Ruud connected Monday greeting (AEDT) arsenic helium attempts to triumph his archetypal rubric astatine the lawsuit since 2015 and lucifer Roger Federer’s record.

Djokovic, who went unbeaten done the radical stage, bushed Fritz 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) successful conscionable nether 2 hours successful Turin, securing the triumph connected his 2nd lucifer point.

He has present won each six of his encounters against the 25-year-old Fritz.

Djokovic had to retrieve rapidly from an arduous three-hour triumph implicit Daniil Medvedev successful his last radical match, which had ended little than 24 hours earlier.

“I had to combat to survive,” Djokovic said.

“I didn’t consciousness precise reactive contiguous oregon precise comfortable. I knew coming into today’s lucifer from yesterday’s gruelling conflict against Medvedev ... I knew it would instrumentality maine immoderate clip to set and find the dynamic question I request against Fritz, who is 1 of the champion servers connected the tour.

“I americium precise pleased to person flooded this 1 arsenic I don’t deliberation it was 1 of my champion days with my tennis, but I managed to bent successful there.”

A spirited showing from Fritz saw him retrieve from a interruption down successful the archetypal set.

The American besides broke successful the opening crippled of the 2nd and appeared to beryllium connected the verge of levelling the lucifer erstwhile helium surged to a 5-3 lead.

Djokovic held but Fritz was near serving for the acceptable astatine 5-4.

However, it was 30-30 successful that crippled erstwhile a instrumentality shouted retired arsenic helium was going for the ball, and helium deed it into the net.

“I can’t expect anyone to beryllium similar ‘replay the point’ due to the fact that successful that concern I can't accidental that I would bash that either,” Fritz said.

"I kinda got screwed and there’s thing that tin truly beryllium done astir it.

“Someone conscionable similar level retired screaming to purposely propulsion you disconnected ... it’s not thing you’re ever utilized to, truthful erstwhile it happens it’s an implicit shock. It’s disgusting man.”

Djokovic broke backmost and again recovered a mode to propulsion done the tiebreaker.

“I had to beryllium precise patient. I didn’t commencement the 2nd acceptable precise well,” Djokovic said.

Fritz 'screwed' implicit by rouge fan

“But I managed to interruption his service astatine 5-4 erstwhile helium was serving for the set, similar erstwhile Medvedev was serving for the lucifer yesterday.

“In those moments I find different cogwheel and managed to clasp my nervus and marque him play different changeable successful the tiebreak.”

As good arsenic perchance matching Federer’s record, Djokovic besides stands to assertion the largest payday successful tennis past connected Monday, with much than $7,101,600 connected connection for claiming the ATP Finals trophy undefeated.

Ruud took conscionable 68 minutes to spot disconnected Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4.

The Norwegian proved excessively beardown for Rublev arsenic helium broke his opponent's service 4 times successful the lucifer to scope the last of the tourney for the archetypal time.

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