The 38-year-old came out triumphant after a hard-fought battle against Lorenzo Musetti with the scores of 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to eventually become the oldest ATP Tour champion ever. It was his 101st career title. Unfortunately, the Serbian’s victory was soon countered by announcement of his withdrawal from the ATP Finals in Turin, which was due to a shoulder injury.
In a tough fight lasting nearly three hours, Djokovic had to go through a tough time and even lost a set – which was the first case of an Italian player beating him on that surface. The Italian player, Musetti, was at the time fighting for a spot at the ATP Finals and pushed the number one seed to the breaking point, even taking Djokovic’s serve during the match at 5-4 in the deciding set. But the Serbian once again made a comeback, and after breaking the top seed again, sealed the championship with his composure that is so much a part of his game. After the match, Djokovic, who was already worn out, celebrated his win by displaying the act of tearing up his shirt after the hug with the 23-year-old.
“It was an incredible battle,” Djokovic said. “Lorenzo played really well. It could have gone either way, so I’m proud to come through.”
It was not only the win that made him surpass Roger Federer, but also the fact that it was his record 72nd hard-court title won, which left him only two behind Federer in the all-time ATP titles list, with Jimmy Connors on top at 109.
Nevertheless, some hours after his triumph, Djokovic stated he would not fly to Turin and that the injury needed time to heal. Hence Musetti is now going to take his place in the Finals, which is going to be a great opportunity for him since he will be along with another Italian player, Jannik Sinner, in the event, making it the first time two Italian singles players participate in the same edition of the event.
