WATCH: Novak Djokovic signs his fan's chest after defeating Holger Rune at 2023 ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic signed a fan's chest after defeating Holger Rune at the 2023 ATP Finals on Sunday, November 12.

Djokovic bettered Rune after a three-hour-eight-minute-long grind inside the Pala Alpitour arena in Turin, Italy to earn his first round-robin victory at the year-end championships. The duo are members of the Green Group alongside Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Serb was challenged by Rune throughout the match, which saw the first two sets going into a tiebreak. The 36-year-old hung tight and managed to get over the line with a clinical performance in the last set with a final scoreline of 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3.

It was the 24-time Grand Slam champion's third victory over Rune. Their head-to-head count was evenly balanced 2-2 prior to Sunday's clash.

After the win, one of the fans present at the arena asked Djokovic to sign an autograph on his chest. He obliged and marked the fan's torso with his initials. A video of the interaction was posted on X (formerly Twitter).

---

Novak Djokovic earns his eighth year-end finish as World No. 1

Nitto ATP Finals - Day One

With his win over Holger Rune in Turin, Novak Djokovic secured his eighth year-end finish as the World No. 1. The Serb needed only one victory at the 2023 ATP Finals, given his Paris Masters triumph earlier this month and a slump in World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz's form in the recent past.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion previously achieved the feat in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2021. He sits in pole position on the all-time list of highest year-end No. 1 finishes, followed by 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras with six. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Jimmy Connors are tied in third place with five year-end No. 1 finishes.

After the win, the 36-year-old admitted to feeling relieved at reaching the milestone.

"It means a lot. You could see there were a lot of emotions on the court. I could feel it. I was very eager to win tonight’s match, get that monkey off my back," he said during the on-court interview.

Djokovic admitted that the achievement was a "big goal" of his.

"I won Paris, which put me in a much better position rankings-wise, and I knew coming into Turin I only needed to win one match. A big goal is achieved, everything else now is a bonus,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion added.

Novak Djokovic will take on Jannik Sinner next in the group stages of the 2023 ATP Finals.