Jannik Sinner has done it again, denying Novak Djokovic a 100th career title as he continued his incredible run this season. The Italian tennis star put on a dominant display in the Shanghai Masters final, taking down the world number two 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to secure his seventh ATP title of 2024.
Coming off the back of being confirmed as the year-end world No 1, Sinner’s performance was another showcase of why he has been the standout player on the ATP Tour this season. With his latest victory, the 23-year-old now has 17 ATP singles titles under his belt, having already won major tournaments like the Australian Open, US Open, and Cincinnati Open earlier this year.
Sinner Joins Exclusive Club with Federer and Zverev
What made Sinner’s Shanghai Masters win even more historic is that he became only the third player ever to defeat Djokovic in a final without facing a single break point, a feat only previously achieved by Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev.
Federer managed this rare accomplishment twice at the Cincinnati Open—once in 2012 and again in 2015—while Zverev did it at the 2017 Italian Open. Sinner, by not facing a single break point in the final, has now joined this elite club, cementing his growing legacy in the sport.
A Record-Breaking Season
With this latest win, Sinner has become the first player since Andy Murray in 2016 to win more than six titles in a single season. The Italian has dominated on all surfaces, winning titles in Australia, the United States, and Europe, proving his versatility and consistency throughout the year. His victories in prestigious tournaments like the Australian Open, Miami Open, and US Open have placed him firmly in the conversation as one of the most formidable players of the current generation.
Denying Djokovic’s Milestone Moment
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, came into the Shanghai Masters final aiming for his 100th career title in his 141st top-level final. However, Sinner’s precise and aggressive play denied the Serbian tennis great that milestone moment. Remarkably, this was only the fourth time in Djokovic’s career that he hadn’t managed to earn a single break point in a final.
Adding further weight to the achievement, Sinner has now accomplished another feat that no other player has managed: denying Djokovic a break point in back-to-back matches. He first achieved this during their meeting in the Australian Open semifinals earlier in 2024.
As Sinner continues to build on his already impressive career, his victory in Shanghai solidifies his status as one of tennis’ rising stars and a player to watch in the years to come.
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