TURIN, Italy — Novak Djokovic has secured the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record-extending eighth time.
Djokovic needed only one match win at the ATP Finals to be sure of keeping the top spot and the 24-time Grand Slam champion did it in his opener, beating Holger Rune 7-6 (4), 6-7 (1), 6-3 on Sunday.
“It was a very emotional and tough win because of the significance,” Djokovic said. “That was added pressure, and attention.
“It means a lot. You could see there was a lot of emotions on the court. I could feel it. I was very eager to win tonight’s match and get that monkey off my back.”
The 36-year-old Djokovic had already moved ahead of previous record holder Pete Sampras (six years at No. 1) two years ago.
Carlos Alcaraz took the honors last year.
After this tournament, Djokovic will become the first player to hold No. 1 for 400 weeks, with Roger Federer at 310 the only other man to eclipse the 300-week mark.
If Djokovic raises the trophy next weekend, he’ll break a tie with Federer and capture a record seventh title at the finals.
“A big goal is achieved; everything else now is a bonus,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic has won 19 straight matches stretching back to his five-set loss to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in July.
The 20-year-old Rune was making his debut at the season-ending tournament for the year’s top eight players and pushed Djokovic to a deciding set for a fourth straight time in five career meetings.
Djokovic also beat Rune in three tight sets at the Paris Masters this month.
Earlier, Jannik Sinner beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 for his tour-leading 14th win indoors this year — against just one loss.
Sinner served nine aces to Tsitsipas’ six amid fast conditions inside the Pala Alpitour and didn’t face a single break point.
“The match went really, really well and the crowd support was crazy,” Sinner said. “It’s not just about improvement, it’s about destinations and the destination I wanted to reach this year was to be here.”
Matches in the other group on Monday feature Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev vs. Andrey Rublev.
The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals.