TFavorite Novak Djokovic no longer holds his fate in his hands at the ATP Finals in Turin. The Serbian world number one beat Polish newcomer Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-1 in his last group game but needs help to reach the semi-finals.
Six-time finals winner Djokovic will only take the lead if Jannik Sinner defeats Boris Becker’s protégé Holger Rune (Denmark) in the evening in the green group. However, Sinner is already in the top four, something no Italian has ever achieved before.
“I lost the set. This is normal,” Djokovic said silently after the match. A two-set win would have given him a much better starting position.
Djokovic initially had problems in the match with the serve of Hurkacz, who replaced the injured Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece), but kept his composure in the first set tiebreak. The 36-year-old bowed out of the second round, after breaks at 3-1, 5-1 and 2:04 hours of play, Grand Slam record holder Djokovic converted his first match point.
Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who won the tournament in 2018 and 2021, also has to hope for support to reach the semi-finals. Hamburger is being challenged after a win-loss Friday night against Russia’s Andrey Rublev and needs a win of his own, as well as the success of Daniil Medvedev (Russia) against Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), to move into the standings. semi-finals.
Source: Frantfurter Allgemeine
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