“He’s the best player in the world, no doubt,” Novak Djokovic reflected after his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final four months ago. If the 36-year-old was setting himself a challenge, the past four months have shown how Djokovic responded: faced with a new rival at this stage of his career, Djokovic has risen again. He finishes the year as the undisputed world No 1, the best player in the world, and still the one to beat ahead of 2024.
On Sunday in Turin, Djokovic capped another dominant season by writing another record into the history books. His straight-sets victory over Jannik Sinner secured a seventh ATP Finals crown and added to victories at three of the four grand slams this year. It was only that five-set defeat to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, the one that got away, that denied him a grand slam.
