Djokovic Ends 2022 Tennis Season On A High
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic ended his 2022 tennis season on a high as he beat Norway’s Casper Ruud 7-5 6-3 to win a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title on Sunday.
Djokovic sealed victory in style with his ninth ace to collect the title for the first time since 2015 in front of a roaring crowd.
“Got to stay focused the entire match, every single point, the momentum can switch to the other side really quickly,” Djokovic, who matched Roger Federer’s record of six titles in the season-ending event, said after the match.
“The fact that I waited seven years makes this victory even sweeter.”
The 23-year-old Ruud has enjoyed the best tennis of his career in 2022 and battled toe-to-toe with the 21-time major winner early on, but produced two clumsy errors to hand Djokovic the break at the end of the first set.
Djokovic put his foot on the accelerator from there on, harnessing his mighty forehand to break Ruud in the fourth game of the second set.
The Norwegian threw everything he had at the veteran in a 36-shot penultimate rally, but the Wimbledon champion was simply too sharp, outlasting his opponent in the marathon exchange and holding his arms out wide after clinching the title.
A fairytale ending 🥹#NittoATPFinals | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/DyFH7dnoqJ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 20, 2022
Djokovic ends the season on a high note after a year of ups and downs. He was unable to defend his title at the Australian Open in January as he was deported from the country, due to his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
His stance also meant he was barred from competing in the United States this year, including at the season’s final major — the US Open.
“I look forward to having a couple of weeks off because I was really kind of on the needles an entire year whether it was for tournaments or waiting for permissions to go somewhere,” Djokovic added.
“So I’m really glad that I managed to end it in a positive way.”
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters.
