記録破りのジョコビッチが最多７回目Ｖ、ＡＴＰファイナルズ

【トリノＡＦＰ＝時事】男子テニスのシーズン最終戦、ＡＴＰファイナルズは１９日、イタリア・トリノでシングルス決勝が行われ、大会第１シードのノバク・ジョコビッチ（セルビア）は６－３、６－３で第４シードのヤニック・シナー（イタリア）を下し、最多７回目の優勝を果たした。（写真は男子テニス、ＡＴＰファイナルズ８日目。トロフィーにキスをするノバク・ジョコビッチ）
　今季ここまで四大大会（グランドスラム）で３勝を挙げて史上最多の通算２４勝に伸ばし、自身４０回目のマスターズ１０００のタイトルも獲得して、３６歳という年齢を感じさせないシーズンを送ってきたジョコビッチだが、今大会でまた一つ新たな記録を樹立し、ジョコビッチ時代がまだ続くことを予感させた。
　これでジョコビッチは、最終戦の優勝回数で引退したロジャー・フェデラーを一つ上回って単独最多となり、世界ランキング１位の在位期間は４００週に到達する。
　今大会では準決勝でカルロス・アルカラス（スペイン）、決勝でシナーという若手最強の２人をいずれもストレートで退け、唯一まだ獲得していない主要タイトルである金メダルが懸かるパリ五輪を来年に控える中、まだ力は衰えていないことを示した。
　ジョコビッチは「非常に特別で、これまででベストのシーズンの一つなのは間違いない」と話し、「アルカラス、シナー相手のここ２日間の内容を非常に誇りに思う。おそらく世界最高峰の選手たちで、現時点で自分と（ダニール・）メドベージェフに次ぐ存在だ。彼らのプレーに対しては、こちらもギアを上げないといけなかった」とコメントした。
　一方、イタリア選手初のファイナルズ優勝を目指したシナーは、ラウンドロビンではジョコビッチから見事な白星を挙げており、その快挙達成にふさわしい選手に見えたが、前日のアルカラス同様、ここぞのタイミングでコンディションをピークに持ってきた仕事人ジョコビッチに単純に太刀打ちできなかった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/11/20-16:47）

Novak Djokovic claimed yet another record on Sunday with his seventh ATP Finals title, sweeping aside local hero Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 in Turin and leaving tennis fans wondering when he will relinquish his tennis dominance.
Djokovic came into the Finals at the end of an age-defying year which has brought three Grand Slams, taking his total to an all-time best of 24, and a 40th Masters 1000 title.
He will clock a 400th week at world number one after crowning an incredible season -- in which he also reached the Wimbledon final -- by moving clear of retired great Roger Federer in victories at the season-ending tournament.
The 36-year-old took his record-breaking crown by beating in straights sets the game's best two young players in Sinner and vanquished semi-finalist Carlos Alcaraz, showing that he still has plenty to give with the Paris Olympics around the corner and a gold medal the only major title missing from his list of honours.
Very special, one of the best seasons I've had in my life, no doubt. To crown it with a win against a home town hero in Jannik, who has played amazing tennis all week, is phenomenal, said Djokovic.
I'm very proud of the performances of the last two days against Alcaraz and Sinner, who are probably the two best players in the world, next to me and Medvedev at the moment. The way they have been playing I had to step it up.
Sinner was bidding to become the first ever Italian to win the Finals and looked like the right man to do it after his impressive group stage win over Djokovic.
But the 22-year-old, like Alcaraz in Saturday's semi, simply could not handle Djokovic, a man on a mission who hit his best form at exactly the right time in the tournament.
It is a testament however to how far Sinner, a four-time winner this year, has come in the past year that he had Djokovic's tournament fate in his hands at the end of the group stage, when defeat by Holger Rune would have sent the Serb home early.
- Record-breaker Djokovic -
Sinner saved Djokovic's skin and in the end paid for it in the final, but the quality of his performances at the Pala Alpitour has been a cause for much optimism in Italy and suggests that he should be a Grand Slam contender next season.
We've seen today that there's still plenty to work on... but we can look at the positives from this season, said Sinner.
When I started this season I was one type of player, now I'm another. Let's see how we go next season.
Djokovic took control early in the match, breaking Sinner at the first opportunity in game four and then comfortably serving out the opening set.
Such was his dominance that Djokovic silenced a partisan crowd which has been rambunctious for all of Sinner's matches, and he immediately broke serve again at the start of the second set.
He reeled off 14 straight points from the start of the final game of the first set into the third game of the second, which was eventually won by Sinner to just hold his serve.
Sinner looked like he was going to be walked over but he showed huge heart and brought the crowd to its feet when he held his serve in game seven, a 15-minute mini-epic in which Djokovic had two break points, to stay at 4-3.
However in the end he couldn't stay with Djokovic and surrendered the match in disappointing fashion with a double fault.
Earlier, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury retained their doubles title as they cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.
The US Open champions kept hold of their crown with a near-perfect campaign in Turin, going unbeaten in their five matches.
American Ram and Briton Salisbury took their winning streak at the season-ending tournament to 10 matches after also sweeping to last year's title undefeated.