ATP Finals: Second win for Djokovic - progression open
Defending champion Novak Djokovic has notched up his second win at the ATP Finals, but will need help from Jannik Sinner to reach the semi-finals.
Djokovic will only progress to the semi-finals if the Italian, who has already qualified for the semi-finals, wins his match against the young Danish star Holger Rune, who is coached by Boris Becker, in the evening (9.00 pm/Sky). If Rune wins, the tournament of the eight best tennis players of the year will end prematurely for Djokovic despite his 7:6 (7:1), 4:6, 6:1 win over Hubert Hurkacz from Poland.
Djokovic (36) had more trouble than expected with substitute Hurkacz. The Pole had stepped in for Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had already had to retire in his second group match against Rune due to back problems. Although he had no chance of progressing himself, Hurkacz put in a strong performance and made life difficult for Djokovic, particularly with his serve. The 26-year-old Pole hit a total of 24 aces.
Djokovic had won in three sets against Rune at the start, but then lost to Sinner in three sets. Now the world number one has to wait and see if Sinner can help him into the semi-finals. If he had beaten Hurkacz in two sets, he would almost certainly have qualified for the semi-finals.
Despite his victory over Hurkacz, Novak Djokovic's participation in the ATP Finals semi-finals relies on Tennis star Jannik Sinner's performance at the ATP Finals, specifically against Holger Rune. If Sinner, who has already secured his spot in the semis, wins, Djokovic's ATP Finals journey will unfortunately come to an early end, despite his win against Djokovic in their previous match.
Source: www.dpa.com
