Novak Djokovic's bid for a sixth title at the ATP Finals began on a winning note. The seventh seed defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, winning 6-4, 7-6(4) on Monday.
The Serb looked in imperious form as he got the best off his Greek opponent for a third time in a month, after previously defeating him in the Astana Open final and Paris Masters semifinals.
The 35-year-old was cheered on by his team and his wife Jelena Djokovic during the match.
Besides the usual people, the 21-time Grand Slam winner's box also had the presence of Juventus FC manager Massimiliano Allegri, who received a raucous response from the Turin crowd.
"I was really sharp and focused" - Novak Djokovic on his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas
In his post-match press conference, Novak Djokovic revealed that he had to be sharp and focused from the beginning of the contest as he was aware that there wouldn't be many opportunities to break his Stefanos Tsitsipas's serve.
He mentioned that due to the fast courts and altitude, there would be a lot of free points for the server during the match.
"Well, I started off the match very well. I knew that there's probably going to be a lot of easy-won service games from both him and I because the conditions are such where there's an altitude, it's fast, it's very difficult to return. If you're serving well, if you're hitting your spots well, being precise, you win a lot of free points. That was the case," he said.
"From the very beginning I knew that with the big servers like him, you maybe have a good chance to maybe in the first or second service game of your opponent, who serves well, get some opportunities. That was the case. It was presented to me. I was really sharp and focused. I used the chance. Obviously, that affects the whole game. Even if it's the first game, I knew it was on his mind. I just wanted to be consistent and keep serving well, which I did," he added.
The former World No. 1 next faces sixth seed Andrey Rublev, who defeated former champion Daniil Medvedev in his opening match on Wednesday.
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