Djokovic wins big in Astana

 

Novak Djokovic played pure tennis last Sunday, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 to win the third Astana Open.

 

It was the ninth straight game win for the fourth seed, who won the title in Tel Aviv a week ago. It was the 35-year-old’s 90th Tour title in just 75 minutes.

 

For third-seeded Greek Tsitsipas, it was his ninth ATP 500 final appearance – and his ninth time he came home empty-handed. Djokovic now leads their ATP Head2Head series 8-2 and has won their last seven matches.

 

With this victory, the Serbian star has secured a top 20 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race after the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters, meaning the defending Wimbledon champion is eligible for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals As the Grand Slam winner of the year. It was Djokovic’s 90th Pro Tour title and his fourth in 2022.

 

Djokovic shook his head when interviewers on the field observed that Djokovic probably never dreamed of 90 ATP Tour titles.

 

“I dare to dream,” he corrected. “I always hope I can have a great career. I don’t know how many finals I will play, how many matches I will win, but my goal is always to be at the highest level in our sport.”

 

Tsitsipas will return to the Hot Rock ATP top 5 on Monday, with the 24-year-old Greek still leading all ATP Tour players with 53 wins.

 

Djokovic started to an excellent start, winning the first game in a little over a minute. Tsitsipas hit the ball 3-4, and the 21-time Grand Slam champion sparked the heat. In the tiebreaker of the semifinals, Djokovic used a shot to destroy Daniil Medvedev and went on to create the only break point of the first set. After Tsitsipas’s forehand went too far, Djokovic needed off a flashy move and made an ace from the perimeter.

 

Djokovic broke serve again in the second set’s fifth game when a frustrated Tsitsipas attempted a shot to the net. Later, Djokovic converted his third match point into the open with a backhand winner.

 

“I’m so grateful and lucky to have played so well at this stage of my life,” Djokovic said. “You know, 35 is not 25. But I think the experience in these kinds of games and big occasions might also help to get close mentally in the right way.”

 

Has Djokovic more eager to succeed after nearly three months in tennis after winning at Wimbledon?

 

“Well, it does,” Djokovic said. “I couldn’t ask for a better restart of the season. I’m very motivated and motivated to finish the season as I have been in the past few weeks.”

 

In this game, Djokovic scored 87% of his first serve points (33/38). He faced no breakpoints, hit 15 game-winners, and committed just seven unforced errors. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas has struggled to hit the ball with his forehand.

 

It was the 10th top 10 final this year, and the second at the ATP 500 event after world No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassim beat Tsitsipas in the 2022 finals in Rotterdam.