Novak Djokovic captured a seventh Rolex Paris Masters title and a 40th Masters 1000 title overall when he beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the final on Sunday afternoon. Djokovic cruised to victory in one hour and 38 minutes.
It was one of the 36-year-old’s easiest outings of what was an otherwise difficult week. He was less than 100 percent physically from the start because of a stomach bug and got pushed in competitive three-setters by Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and Andrey Rublev from the third round through the semis.
“[It’s] incredible,” Djokovic assured. “To be able to win it after quite challenging circumstances for me this week–basically, coming back from the brink of losing three matches in a row, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I was very close to losing those matches and somehow managed to find an extra gear when it was needed.
“Today, I think we both were quite tight at the beginning and I could see that he was running out of gas a little bit. Myself as well, but I somehow managed to find an extra shot over the net. I think the match was closer than the scoreline indicates, but another amazing win for me. I’m very proud of this one considering what I’ve been through this week.”
By lifting the trophy in Paris, Djokovic is all but guaranteed to finish the year at No. 1 in the world. He now leads second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz by 1,490 points; only 1,500 points are available at the upcoming Nitto ATP Finals. Alcaraz would have to be the undefeated champion in Turin and Djokovic would have to lose all three of his round-robin matches in order for the 20-year-old Spaniard to steal the top spot.
Even in defeat, Dimitrov concludes outstanding season
Dimitrov came up short of his first ATP title since 2017 and his second Masters 1000 success, but it was still a phenomenal week–and season–for the Bulgarian. He compiled a 41-21 record and is up to 14th in the rankings.
“I just wanted to say how grateful I am for this amazing week,” Dimitrov told the Parisian crowd. “It’s been such a roller-coaster the past three months for me. Getting to the final of this tournament means so much more than you guys can imagine. But also it would not have been possible without you throughout the week [and your] support.”
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nice one, Djoker
Uncompetitive final but 2 excellent matches with Rune and Rublev.
Am in awe of Novak’s ability to win when not really on his game. Doubt that we will ever see another tennis player who is so consistent throughout the year year after year.
Joker somehow found a way….Congrats!