"I wish you were here with us" - Novak Djokovic & Jannik Sinner pay their honors to 'legends' Roger Federer & Carlos Alcaraz in Shanghai Masters final

Under the scrutinizing eyes of Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner reigned supreme in the final of the 2024 Shanghai Masters on Sunday (October 13), beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets. The World No. 1 prevailed 7-6(4), 6-3 and did not face a single break point against the Serb on the night.

With the win, the Italian has now 17 ATP tour titles already, with seven of them coming this year. Before Shanghai, Sinner won the trophies at the Australian Open and the US Open, as well as at the ATP 1000 Miami Open and Cincinnati Open.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony afterwards, Djokovic acknowledged the presence of Federer and Alcaraz, the latter being joined by his coach and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero. Djokovic joked with Federer in particular, saying that he felt added pressure playing in front of the 20-time Grand Slam champion for the first time in his career.

“It's nice to see you Roger. I’m not used to seeing you in the stands. I wish you were here on court playing with us. It’s probably the first time that I’m playing in front of you, so I had an added pressure. It’s great. Carlos as well. Juan Carlos as well. Thank you for coming out and being a part of this match,” the Serb said.

The duo, for those unaware, share a storied past, facing off against each other 50 times on the ATP tour before the Swiss hung up his racket. The head-to-head remains 27-23 in favor of the Serb.

Sinner also addressed the trio at the ceremony, calling them 'legends' and adding Djokovic to the list as well.

"You know, seeing there are three legends, and I played against another, so you know I see legends everywhere. I just try to keep up a little bit," Sinner added.

Alcaraz was in action at the Shanghai Masters this week, and fell in the quarterfinals to Tomas Machac, who, in turn, fell to Sinner in the semifinals.

Jannik Sinner has now tied his head-to-head record against Novak Djokovic

2024 Shanghai Rolex Masters - Day 11 - Source: Getty

With the Shanghai Masters final win, Jannik Sinner has improved in his head-to-head record against Novak Djokovic to 4-4. The Italian, in fact, has won their last three battles on the trot, and is unbeaten against the Serb in 2024 (two wins, the other victory coming in the semifinals of the Australian Open).

Djokovic's last victory against Sinner came last year at the ATP Finals, where he exacted revenge for the loss in the group stage. Up next, the duo will both be in action at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia taking place next week.