Djokovic encouraged by Paris form ahead of ATP Finals: “Hopefully I’ll be at my best”

The Serb said he was pleased with the way he played in Paris and says he will be fresh in Turin

AI/Reuters/Panoramic

November 6, 2022

Novak Djokovic came off a close second best at the Paris Masters on Sunday but says his game is in a good place as he heads to the ATP Finals in Turin.

The former world No 1 was beaten 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 by Danish teenager Holger Rune in the final, a disappointing end to a good week, that saw the Serb reach his second Masters 1000 title of the year.

'I'm happy for you because I like your personality – I think you're a very dedicated guy that loves tennis – and I'm sure the future is bright for you'@DjokerNole – graceful as ever 🙌@holgerrune2003 #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/FkJByxxARP
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 6, 2022

The Wimbledon champion will now head to Turin to prepare for the ATP Finals, where he has the chance to equal Roger Federer’s record of six title wins.

“Every tournament is important at this stage of my career,” he said. “Anywhere I play, I try to win. That’s not a secret.

“That’s kind of my mentality and approach coming into Torino. I feel very good on the court. You know, I think I’m playing very, very good tennis.”

“Of course I’m disappointed with the loss today, but I was very close. It was just very few points that decided a winner. But the level of tennis that I’m playing is high, and I like my chances.”

Djokovic on ATP Finals: “Every match is like a final”

Djokovic had qualified for the ATP Finals through his win at Wimbledon and being in the top 20 in the calendar-year ATP Race, but his efforts in Paris ensured he is in the automatic top eight qualifiers anyway.

The ATP Finals begins in Turin on November 13, with the top eight players from 2022 going head to head, minus Carlos Alcaraz, who pulled out of the event on Saturday, having retired in his quarter-final in Paris on Friday due to an abdominal injury that will put him out for six weeks.

“Every match is like finals there,” Djokovic said. “There is no easy matches. You’ve got to be fit, fresh. Good thing is that you have a day between every match in the group stage, so you have time to recover between each match, which is good.

“Let’s see. You know, I played there last year. Played really good tennis. Played semis, tight match against (Alexander) Zverev, who was eventual champion.

“I know that the conditions are different. The ball is flying more because it’s altitude. It’s quite fast. You’ve got to serve well. I’ll be there some days before to train, and hopefully be at my best.”

No injury concerns for Djokovic

Djokovic called the trainer for a rub-down early in the third set of the final in Paris and was stretching out his left leg at times in the closing stages.

But the 35-year-old said he had no injury concerns heading to Turin.

“Oh, I don’t want to talk about that, because I know that you guys might take that as, you know, excuse or something like this why I lost,” he said.

“No, everything was OK. It’s normal that when you play day after day and you have some tightness here and there, but I didn’t have an injury. I fought til the last moment. So it wasn’t to be for me today.”