3 milestones Novak Djokovic achieved by reaching 2023 ATP Finals final

Novak Djokovic took down Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the semifinal on Saturday to storm into the final of the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin.

After going the distance in all three group-stage matches, the 36-year-old surprisingly had a straight-forward win in what was supposed to be his sternest test of the week.

However, it turned out to be a damp squib, as the Serb rode breaks in each set to record a straight-set victory in 88 minutes at the Pala Alpitour. It was his third win in four meetings against the Spaniard this year, with his only loss coming in five sets in the Wimbledon final, which denied him a calendar year Grand Slam.

Following his first straight-set win of the week, a relieved Djokovic said:

“After spending a lot of time on the court in the first three matches, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel tonight. This year I wasn’t maybe as sharp in the second and third group matches, particularly, but I think tonight from the very beginning I felt the ball well."

It's pertinent to note that Djokovic was on the cusp of group-stage elimination after losing to Jannik Sinner. A loss for the Italian against Holger Rune would have dumped Djokovic out of the competition, as the Serb had dropped a set in his last group-stage win over Hubert Hurkacz.

However, that didn't happen, as Sinner emerged victorious in three sets, putting Djokovic through to the last four. He capitalized on the opportunity with both hands with a dominant win over Alcaraz.

In the process, the 36-year-old achieved a few milestones. Here's a look at the top three:

#1 Novak Djokovic becomes second player to reach final of all 4 Grand Slams and ATP Finals in the same year twice

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic may not have had the best season of his career by his own admission, but he has had a mightily impressive season nonetheless.

Following his win over Alcaraz on Saturday, the Super Serb became only the second player to reach the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments and the ATP Finals in the same year.

Djokovic first accomplished the feat in 2015, when he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open and the ATP Finals. Eight years later, he has achieved the feat again.

Roger Federer (2006-07) is the only other player to make all five finals in the same year. He remains the only one to do so in successive years, though.

Djokovic, interestingly, beat Federer in three of the 'big' finals in 2015: Wimbledon, US Open, ATP Finals.

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#2 Djokovic moves to second all-time in most ATP Finals final appearances

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is set to make his ninth ATP Finals final appearance. That's the second-most by any player in competition history, level with Ivan Lendl.

Roger Federer (10) is the only player with more finals appearances at the ATP Finals than Djokovic. However, the Serb is level with Federer for most titles (6) at the prestigious year-end event featuring an elite field of the world's top eight players.

Djokovic reached his first ATP Finals final in 2008, a year after he had lost all three group-stage matches on his competition debut.

His next final at the event came in 2012, where he dethroned two-time defending champion Federer in straight sets. The Serb would go on to reach the next four finals, winning the first four.

After a year's absence, Djokovic returned to the ATP Finals final in 2018 but fell to Alexander Zverev. It would be four more years before the Serb reached the title match again, this time in Turin, beating Casper Ruud to go level with Federer for most titles at the event.

He's now one win away from a record seventh ATP Finals triumph, with the in-form Jannik Sinner standing in his way.

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#3 Djokovic is the first player to reach multiple ATP Finals finals after turning 35

Novak Djokovic

Despite being in his 30s, Novak Djokovic has shown little signs of slowing down as he continues to age like fine wine.

At the age of 35, he reached his eighth ATP Finals final last year. Djokovic marked the occasion with a victory over Ruud to go joint level with Federer atop the competition leaderboard.

A year later, the Serb returned to the final, becoming the first player in the ATP Finals' 53-year history to reach multiple title matches after turning 35.

The Serb will look to mark the occasion with a win against Sinner who beat him in the group stage earlier this year. In one of the matches of the year-end event, Djokovic fell short in a deciding-set tiebreak.

The last time Djokovic avenged a group-stage loss in the final of the ATP Finals w in was 2015 against Federer. Can the 24-time Grand Slam champion repeat the feat against Italy's finest? Sinner and the partisan Alpitour faithful might have other ideas on Sunday.