London, Nov. 16, (dpa/GNA) – Novak Djokovic was officially crowned as the year-end number one player for 2020 on Sunday before the beginning of the ATP Finals tournament in London.
The 33-year-old Serbian has achieved the honour for a record-equalling sixth time to match his idol Pete Sampras and is officially the oldest player to finish a season as number one.
It has been a mixed year for Djokovic, which started with an eighth Australian Open title and he did not lose a match on court until October because of the coronavirus-enforced suspension.
He then went on to win two Masters titles in New York and Rome before losing to Rafael Nadal in a one-sided French Open final. At the US Open he was however disqualified for accidently hitting a ball at a lineswoman.
“I am happy but I have a mix of emotions,” said Djokovic in an on-court presentation of the trophy at the crowd-less O2 Arena.
“This season has been very unusual, different, with a six-month gap of no tournaments and due to this virus, a lot of people around the world are experiencing hard times. That’s why I’m torn between being happy and sad with everything that’s going on.”
Djokovic plays at the ATP Finals on Monday against Diego Schwartzman in his round-robin group of four players.
Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Austria’s Dominic Thiem play the first match in a repeat of last year’s final before Nadal takes on Russian Andrey Rublev in Sunday’s evening contest.
GNA