Novak Djokovic prevented the Canadian Denis Shapovalov from winning his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy. The Serb was better and won the finals in Paris in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Djokovic lost only ten points on his serve, which was, in fact, the key to winning this clash. The Serb’s confidence grew out of that, as he always had the edge over the youngster who looked a bit frustrated at certain moments.
“I think I had the best serving match of the tournament, and that’s why the match was pretty short,” Djokovic said. “I put him under pressure [on] the second serve, and from the back of the court, I was solid and not giving him too many opportunities.”
The first set opened pretty badly for Shapo, who lost his serve immediately, and trailed with 3-0. Until the end of that part of the match, Djokovic was firmly keeping the distance between him and the rival without too many troubles. His serves were an enigma for the Canadian, who simply couldn’t find a way to restrain them.
Shapo began playing much better in the second set, and although Joker had a chance to take the break point in the opening game, it was clear that the 20-year old improved his performance. The fans saw an equal fight up until the seventh game when Djokovic shifted into a higher gear. For a brief moment, Shapovalov‘s first serve failed, which opened the possibility for his rival to strike back, and we all know that Novak has one of the best returns of all times.
The Canadian had a chance to bounce back, but the 16-time Grand Slam winner prevented Shapo from converting his only break point chance in this event. It was the deciding moment of these finals. Djokovic firmly kept his pace, denying all the rival’s pushes and closing out this one routinely.
“It was tough for me to find a groove just because he was really, really picking his spots on the serve,” Shapovalov said. “Big credit to him. He played an amazing match and had a great week. I wish him the best of luck for London.”
This was his first chance to take one Masters finals. After winning the finals in Stockholm, by beating Filip Krajinovic, this would be a massive step forward for him. However, with 20 years of age, he has a bright future ahead of him.
“The best things are yet to come for you,” Djokovic told Shapo.
For Novak, this is the fifth trophy in Paris and the 34th Masters 1000 title. Despite this win, he didn’t keep the No.1 place in the ATP rankings. Rafael Nadal seized the top spot and has 640 points more than his biggest rival. Due to this, the ATP Masters Finals in London might be the most interesting tournament of the entire year.
Each win at the group stage is worth 200 points, win in the semis is 400, and taking the title the additional 500 points. Djokovic still has a chance to go back to the top, but Nadal, too, has his own plan. The battles in London start on Sunday, November 10.
