Novak Djokovic won his 101st title when he won the Greek Championships in Athens to undermine Lorenzo Musetti’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals, only to later announce he would withdraw from Turin with a shoulder injury.
It could have been anyone’s match, so congratulations to Lorenzo for a great performance Novak Djokovic
Consequently, after losing to Djokovic, Musetti will now replace the Serbian in the ATP Finals eight-man line-up and realize his dream of playing in his hometown at a high-quality event.
The Italian fought hard to achieve his goal on the pitch, but the 38-year-old, headstrong and more experienced Serbian stopped him and claimed a 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory after three hours of battle. In the final set, the players faced 13 break points and had five service breaks.
“An incredible battle… Three hours of a grueling match, physically,” Djokovic said as he lifted another trophy. “It could have been anyone’s match, so congratulations to Lorenzo for a great performance. I’m just really proud of myself for getting through this one.”
(Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
For Musetti, it was heartbreak as he fell to his sixth consecutive defeat in a tour final.
“Novak, there are not many words to say about you and your career,” Musetti said after his ninth defeat to the great Serbian. “You prove, still at your age, that you can kick our ass, like me today. Every time I share the court with you, I take it as a lesson, so thank you for that.”
There is no doubt that Djokovic has the will to play and still win, but his body is telling him to slow down.
“I was really looking forward to competing in Turin and doing my best, but after today’s final in Athens,” Djokovic said as he announced his withdrawal from Turin via social media. “I regret to announce that I have to withdraw due to an ongoing injury.
“I’m really sorry to the fans who were hoping to see me play; your support means so much. I wish all the players a great tournament and I can’t wait to be back on the field with you soon!”
Alexnader Bublic is now the new First Alternate player and with this being the match of the season, there is a good chance you will be called to replace someone as players carry and hide minor injuries.
Student Ten has a bright future
(Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
While Djokovic is nearing the end of his playing career in France at the Moselle Open, Learner Tien is at the very beginning of his career as he takes the first title of his career.
At the age of 19, the young American became the ninth winner of the Tour this season when he defeated British number 2 Cameron Norrie 6-3 3-6 7-6(6) in the final.
With the triumph, Tien also became the first American teenager to win a tour-level title since 19-year-old Andy Roddick in 2002.
“It’s very special for me. It was a big goal that I had this season. It was the last week of the year. I really wanted to make it happen. So it means a lot,” the youngster said of his personal milestone.
The final itself could have gone either way as Norrie fought from a set down, then a break up in the final set and ultimately led 5-1 in the third set tie-break, but he could not stop Tien as he won seven of the last eight points played to seal his victory.
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