Jannik Sinner believes his upcoming clash with Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals will be the perfect way to find out how close he is to the very top of the game.
The two players have been drawn into the same group at the end-of-season showdown along with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune. Only the top two of the group will progress to the knockout stages. It will be the fourth time Sinner has played Djokovic on the Tour and the second this season. However, they have never faced each other in Sinner’s home country of Italy or clashed on an indoor hardcourt.
“You find yourself in front of someone who has won 24 Slams, three out of four this year alone. In terms of results, he is the best that this sport has ever had,” Sinner said of Djokovic during an interview with Eurosport Italy.
“I hope to meet him as soon as possible. These are the important matches for my growth (as a player), the ones for which I say: I win or I learn. Djokovic will tell me where I am.”
In their three previous matches played, Sinner has won only two out of nine sets which was during the quarter-finals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. They also locked horns at the grass-court major this year in the semi-finals where Djokovic prevailed 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4). Their other meeting was back in 2021 on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters.
“I felt closer this year in the semifinals at Wimbledon, despite losing in three sets, than last year in the quarterfinals, when we fought for five,” he explained.
“I can’t wait. These are the matches I train for every day, the ones that fill me with pressure.”
Sinner comes into the ATP Finals with an 8-5 winning record against top 10 players this season. He has already won four ATP titles in 2023, including his first Masters 1000 event in Canada. His overall win-loss record currently stands at 57-14.
This year is the first time the 22-year-old has automatically qualified for the ATP Finals. In 2021 he played in the group stages as an alternate following the withdrawal of Matteo Berrettini due to injury.
“Playing in Turin means a lot to me because I will live the experience with the home crowd,” he said. “It’s a new mentality that I’m starting to get into. I like it when people get on my bandwagon. This is also why I want to do well in the Finals.”
Sinner will begin his ATP Finals campaign against Tsitsipas on Sunday afternoon. Then in the evening, Djokovic takes on Rune.
