Novak Djokovic won, but this time he finds no reason to celebrate. The Serb knows that he is in trouble because his fate no longer depends on him and his continuity in this Masters Cup is no longer in his hands but in those of Jannik Sinner, his executioner a few nights ago. “Biscotti?” hovers in the atmosphere of the Pala Alpitour, where speculation is rife: Would it be in the Italian’s best interest to lose and get it out of the way? The redhead, with two wins under his belt and already automatically qualified for the semi-finals, dispelled all doubts in the night duel against the Dane Holger Rune, whom he defeated 6:2, 5:7 and 6:4 in 2:32 hours. Once again the Pala Alpitour fans are singing the war song of these days: Si-nneeer, Si-neeer!” For the first time in history, an Italian will be present in the penultimate phase of the Masters. The protagonist achieves this with a monumental achievement that corresponds to the category of a player destined to achieve great things and has already become the great reference of the racket in his country, beyond legends like Adriano Panatta or Corrado Barazzutti.
“I have had a very difficult match,” admits the local, who spent more than three hours trying to defeat Djokovic on Tuesday and demanded from the start of this tournament. He had previously fulfilled the requirements, but only half of them. The lost set against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz (7-6(1), 4-6 and 6-1, in 2h 05) put him in a tricky position: if Sinner didn’t help, he would be out.
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“Hubert is a very popular player on the racetrack, we all love him. I’m happy for him because I love him as a person, but not as a player…” jokes the Belgrade native at the foot of the court, “because it’s very difficult to deal with his serve; He is very tall and did an incredible performance today.” Nole says he will not watch the night duel as his children Stefan and Tara arrive in Turin this afternoon. “My work is already done, I’ll think about whether I qualify or not…” he replies offended and faces elimination, which he ultimately escapes, as he almost always does. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas on the first day – withdrew on the second day due to injury – and lost to Sinner on Tuesday. So achieving a direct pass depended on his performance against Hurkacz and numbers that are fundamental in this format. Given the partial rejection of Poland, everything is speculation. The fact is that the Wroclaw player who theoretically came here, a substitute who was spontaneously included in the competition due to Tsitsipas’ absence, ends up weaving the spider’s web and Djokovic is left on the edge of the abyss. But as an escapist par excellence, he gets out of trouble again.
The 36-year-old Balkan is aiming to win his seventh trophy and end the tie between him and Switzerland’s Roger Federer, thanks in large part to the fair play of Sinner, who at 22 already has 20 wins against the leaders has brought in rivals. -10. The Balkans are grateful to equal the record of championship semi-finals (12) set by the hard-fought Ivan Lendl. “The only thing I think about is hugging my children, it’s always good to have them close to me. I’ll probably take them to the pool and play something. “I probably won’t watch the game…” he hinted before leaving with his team. “The season is not over yet. I still don’t know if I’ll qualify and Davis is there next week and I’d really like to win it with Serbia; “It’s a very important week for our nation,” expects the king of the track, who gets out of trouble at the end. Naturally. Djokovic always has the key here or there. Regardless of the location and the circumstances. A competition without limits.
“IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR RAFA AND ME TO PLAY ONE LAST GAME”
AC | Turin
Regardless of what might happen in Turin, the Serb also referred to the recent statements of Rafael Nadal, who assured the day before at an event in Barcelona that he would play tennis again. The 37-year-old Spaniard has not specified when or where, although his uncle Toni suggested this week that he is confident he can make it in Australia in January.
“I think it would be good for the sport if Nadal and I played at least one more match. “In terms of games, it is the greatest rivalry our sport has ever had,” said Nole, dominant (30-29) in the most repeated meeting in tennis history.
“I hope it can happen. He is a great warrior, someone who never gives up. Despite all the injuries he has suffered, he continues. This spirit is respectable and admirable. It is undoubtedly incredible news for the tennis world that he will return,” he concluded.
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