Paris. Novak Djokovic assured to finish the season at the top of the world for the seventh time in his career, improving the record he shared with Pete Sampras, after eliminating the Polish Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy to dispute the title today against Daniil Medveded, who left Alexander Zverev out, so the Serbian will win the final of the US Open won by the Russian two months ago.
“That was the goal of the week. I am very proud to finish the season as number one, ”said Djokovic. “It’s a dream because, honestly, Sampras was a great idol for me as a child. He motivated me to pick up the racket and play this sport, “he added by beating the American, who finished six consecutive years in the privileged position between 1993 and 1998.
The Serbian eclipsed Swiss Roger Federer’s historic record of 310 weeks as number one on March 8 and will finish 2021 having held the top for 348 weeks.
Since the start of his professional career in 2003, the Balkan finished at the top of the world tennis hierarchy in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020 and now in 2021.
In his 54th Masters 1000 final (record), Djokovic will have the opportunity to achieve another mark, the 37th title in this tournament category, one notch below the Grand Slam, with one more than Rafael Nadal.
The Serbian reached his seventh Parisian final yesterday by beating the Polish Hubert Hurkacz (10) after coming back 3-6, 6-0 and 7-6 (7/5), while the Russian Daniil Medvedev, defending champion, left out the German Alexander Zverev in double 6-2.
“If we meet again it is a good thing for both of us because it can only be in the final (being the seeds number 1 and 2). I really like playing against him, I don’t know if Djokovic also against me. We generally have very tough games, ”Medvedev said.
Zverev, for his part, who had just been crowned in Vienna last Sunday, showed a certain fatigue and could not get his sixth ATP title of the year this weekend. Before the trophy in the Austrian capital, he won this year in Acapulco, Madrid, Cincinnati and at the Tokyo Olympics.
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