World number one Djokovic lost a third set tiebreaker to local tennis player Jannik Sinner in his last match. It was the 36-year-old Serbian’s first defeat in 19 matches since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set final at Wimbledon, leaving his season record now at 52-6.
In a tough 12-game first set, Sinner emerged victorious. He broke at 5:5, winning 5 rallies in a row, coming back from 0:40 down. Then, on his serve, he won 4 more consecutive draws and won the first set 7-5. The Serb fought back, winning the second set in a tiebreaker and leveling the score.
Sinner took a 4-2 lead in the third set, but Djokovic immediately returned the break to level the score. However, the Italian confirmed his superiority in the match, losing only two games in the following tie-break. Sinner won his second match of the tournament and dominated the group.
Earlier, Djokovic defeated Holger Rune in the first round and secured the top spot in the ATP rankings at the end of the year for the 8th time in his career.
Meanwhile, Hurkacz, ranked ninth in the ATP rankings, will play in the final after sixth number Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from trailing 1-2 in the second match against Rune. The 26-year-old is 45-23 in 2023 after losing to eventual runner-up Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals in Paris.
The Pole had already won the Shanghai Masters title last month. It was his second career Masters 1000 title (the first was in Miami in 2021) and his second in 2023, also winning in Marseille.
After losing all three matches in his 2021 ATP Finals debut, Hurkacz will look to make a splash at the year-end tournament.
Djokovic is a perfect 6-0 against Hurkac, losing only three sets to him. On hard ground, it’s 2-0. The last meeting took place this year in the fourth round of Wimbledon, where the Serb won in four sets.
Prediction for the match between Novak Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacs
Both Djokovic and Hurkacz are typical backcourt players, but that’s where the similarities in their games end.
Djokovic is one of the best players in receiving and defending. It looks amazing on any surface. Although Novak does not have as strong a serve or as powerful shots as Hurkacz, the Serb has few weak points in his game.
Additionally, Djokovic has an excellent record against Hurkacz, giving him a clear psychological advantage. The trend is expected to continue as the Serb has to fight for the semi-finals and the match means nothing to Hurkacz.
Of course, even a loss will take him to the semi-finals if Sinner beats Rune. However, Djokovic will be eliminated if he beats Hurkacz in three sets and Rune beats Sinner. The Serbian will also be eliminated if he loses to Hurkacz and Rune wins Sinner.
However, Djokovic can be expected to avoid such complications by winning in straight sets.
Forecast: Djokovic will win in straight sets.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
