Jannik Sinner emulates the remarkable finals accomplishments of Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev, denying Novak Djokovic his 100th title

Jannik Sinner has secured his seventh title of the 2024 season by delivering a dominant performance in the Shanghai Masters final, securing his third victory against Novak Djokovic in three encounters.

Sinner demonstrated why he has been the most exceptional player on the ATP Tour this year by defeating the tennis legend in the final, just days after it was announced that he would conclude the season as the year’s top player. The score was 7-6 (-4), 6-3.

The Italian has now captured the Australian Open, Rotterdam Open, Miami Open, Halle Open, Cincinnati Open, US Open, and Shanghai Masters in the current calendar year, bringing his total number of ATP singles trophies to 17.

Sinner is also the first player in eight years to win more than six championships in a season, with Andy Murray being the last to accomplish this feat when he won nine trophies in 2016.

However, the 23-year-old’s victory over Djokovic was once again remarkable. He became the third player in a final against the legend to not encounter a single break point, following Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer.

Djokovic’s 141st top-level final was the Shanghai Masters, where he aimed to secure his 100th career title. He has not faced a break point in only four of those matches.

Federer accomplished the feat at the 2012 Cincinnati Open by winning 6-0, 7-6 (9-7), and three years later at the same ATP Masters 1000 event by securing a 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 victory to lift the trophy. Zverev was added to the list in 2017 after defeating Djokovic in the Italian Open final, 6-4, 6-3.

Sinner’s dominant performance in Shanghai has transformed a two-man club into a three-man club.

In addition, Sinner has established his own one-man society, as he is the sole player to not encounter a single break point in consecutive matches against Djokovic. He also denied the tennis legend in the 204 Australian Open semi-final. Djokovic emerged victorious in the fourth set by means of a tiebreaker.

The Italian also equaled Djokovic in their head-to-head match, as they are currently 4-4. Sinner initially maintained a 4-1 advantage in the head-to-head series, but he secured victories at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, the 2024 Australian Open semi-final, and most recently in Shanghai.

“It was an extremely difficult match; playing against Novak is one of the most difficult challenges we face,” stated the two-time Grand Slam champion. “I am exceedingly pleased with the manner in which I resolved the matter.” I was unable to break him in the first set; he was serving exceptionally well. I executed an exceptional tie-break, which instilled in me the confidence to commence the second set with a flourish.

“It is difficult to disclose any information regarding [Djokovic] due to his lack of vulnerabilities.” It is imperative that you capitalize on the limited opportunities that he provides, as there are few during the match. He is a sporting legend who is exceedingly difficult to defeat, which is why I am exceedingly pleased.

Persistent critic accuses Novak Djokovic of ‘giving up’ in Shanghai match vs Jannik Sinner

Former number four in the world Adriano Panatta has said When Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic in the final of the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic said he was “giving up.”

The legendary Italian tennis player, who has been critical of Djokovic on several occasions, insists he still loves Roger Federer more and has “great admiration” for the Serbian.

In the 2024 Shanghai Masters championship final, Sinner evened his head-to-head series with tennis legend Novak Djokovic by defeating him 7-6(4), 6-3. With three consecutive victories against Djokovic and four of their previous five matches in the bag, the world number one has been unstoppable.

In a first set that was both competitive and high-quality, with no break points, Djokovic won more points; however, Sinner played better in the tiebreak, which gave him the victory.

The 37-year-old’s concentration faded in the first set, and the 23-year-old Italian took full advantage to capture his sixth championship of 2024.

Panatta praised Sinner for his reliability this season and said that Sinner’s opponents couldn’t hold a candle to him for more than an hour.

He told Corriere dello Sport, “He won again, he confirmed this extraordinary year that he is playing in a way that is beyond belief.” He acknowledged that he has improved much in recent months, but he also noted that the player’s consistency and overall performance have been exceptional.

He is unbeatable against opponents ranked six and below, even when he isn’t performing up to par. Even with the first four, he never loses when he’s playing well. After that, it’s clear that Carlos Alcaraz is now the one at a distance from the others.

“He plays nonstop for two or three hours straight, consistently at a high level. After mimicking his every move for an hour or so, the rest of the team is unable to maintain his level of play.

Sinner and Djokovic’s final was finished after the first set, according to the former French Open winner, who was trying to drive home his argument.

For precisely one hour, he (Djokovic) displayed strong play. I believe that Djokovic likewise accepts defeat after the first set since there was no more match, Panatta said.

I don’t think a player of his caliber could tolerate leaving the court, not humiliated, but with a solid hammering from Sinner. He was perhaps the greatest of all time in terms of outcomes.

I really respect Djokovic, so it’s with some regret that I must say this. I lie when I claim I didn’t adore Novak Djokovic. It was [Roger] Federer that I liked more.