Novak Djokovic falls to Jannik Sinner at ATP Tour Finals, snapping 19-match winning streak

Novak Djokovic has been reiterating a favorite catchphrase lately, reminding everyone that he hadn’t suffered a loss since July, specifically since his epic five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.

But he can’t use that line anymore. Playing in front of a energetic home crowd, Jannik Sinner of Italy managed to defeat Djokovic in three sets on Tuesday night at the ATP Tour Finals in Turin. Sinner won with a score of 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2). Here’s a breakdown of how it all unfolded.

What happened

22-year-old Sinner managed to outplay Djokovic at his own game, dominating in baseline battles and leveraging his powerful and efficient serve during crucial moments to outlast Djokovic. This year, Djokovic has shown a pattern of overwhelming much younger opponents to the point of exhaustion and cramps, as seen in his match against Holger Rune of Denmark on Sunday night.

What it means

This loss puts Djokovic on the brink of elimination from the season-ending tour championship, which follows a round-robin format. In this format, eight players are divided into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals. Djokovic’s group includes Sinner, Rune, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Therefore, despite the loss, Djokovic still has a chance to win the entire tournament.

What’s next

Djokovic has guaranteed the season-ending No. 1 ranking for the eighth time, but a loss on Thursday to Hubert Hurkacz, who will be replacing the injured Tsitsipas, will end his run in the tournament. However, he also has the opportunity to win three consecutive matches and claim the tournament victory, making everyone forget about Tuesday night.

Even if he doesn’t, he still secured three Grand Slam titles, reached the final of a fourth, and finished the year as the world No. 1. Not a bad season at all.

(Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)