World no.1 Jannik Sinner etched his name in tennis history by becoming the youngest player to win the Shanghai Masters title.
Jannik Sinner downs Novak Djokovic for Shanghai Masters title
In a thrilling final on Sunday, October 13, Sinner defeated the legendary Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. This victory not only marked Sinner's fourth ATP Masters 1000 title but also made him the first Italian to claim the Shanghai Masters championship.
Sinner's triumph extended his impressive record to 17 titles this year, surpassing all other male players on the tour. Remarkably, he became the first man since Andy Murray in 2016 to win more than six titles in a single calendar year. Djokovic, aiming to become the third player after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer to reach 100 tour-level titles, was unable to secure a title in 2024.
Sinner's victory over Djokovic took an hour and 37 minutes. The first set was a tightly contested affair, eventually decided in a tiebreak that Sinner won 7-4. This victory improved his tiebreak record for the year to 24-8. In the second set, Sinner quickly established a dominant lead, taking a 4-1 advantage.
“It was a very tough match, obviously, playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have. 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 tie-break which gave me confidence to start off well in the second set,” Sinner said after the match.
“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 added.
Sinner concluded the year as the world number one, securing a victory over Tomas Machac in the semifinals on Saturday. Djokovic had an undefeated record in the Shanghai finals, but Sinner managed to break his winning streak.
