Mayes Yousef
World number one Jannik Sinner beat 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 earlier today to secure the Shanghai Masters. Simmer succeeded in defeating Djokovic in 1hr 37min after taking a crucial break in the fourth game of the second set. "He was just too good today, too strong, too fast," said Djokovic after the match.
Sinner praised his opponent as a "legend" who kept playing "incredible tennis... year after year". In acknowledgment to former Djokovic rival Roger Federer, who was watching the match from the stands, the 23-year-old joked: "There are legends everywhere, I just try to keep up a little bit."
Facing off before a passionate crowd, neither Sinner nor Djokovic batted an eye in the first set, unable to break the other's serve. However, in the tie-break, Sinner did manage to quickly take control, breaking Djokovic's serve on the first point and going 5-1 up. Djokovic then steadied himself but then netted a volley to bring up set point at 6-3. Sinner failed to convert initially but didn't miss the second time behind serve.
In the fourth game of the second set, Sinner was leading 40-15 on Djokovic's serve, meaning he had a chance to break Djokovic's serve and take control of the match. Djokovic saved one break point with a powerful ace, but Sinner responded with an impressive forehand shot down the sideline, which allowed him to break Djokovic's serve.
Following that, all Siner needed to do was to stay focused and win his own service game., where he did exactly that; finishing the match with an ace, which gave him the win and the title.
Sinner's win on Sunday caps off a year that has seen him entangled in controversy after he twice tested positive for a banned steroid in March. In August, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Sinner's explanation that the drug entered his system unintentionally after his physiotherapist used a spray containing the drug to treat a cut, and then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.
However, just last month, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said it would appeal the decision to clear him of wrongdoing and was looking for a ban of up to two years. That news came as Sinner was contesting the China Open, losing in the final to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, who was also watching from the stands on Sunday.