Nitto ATP Finals: Novak Djokovic wins record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title

Both players advanced to the championship match after securing straight-set victories in their semifinal clashes. Casper Rudd fired consistent groundstrokes to put pressure on Novak Djokovic, but the 35-year-old Serb maintained his dominance on returns.

It was a historic win for Novak Djokovic, who levelled Roger Federer's record of winning six ATP Finals titles. It was also the first ATP match since the 1970s to have a woman umpire.

Novak Djokovic fired 14 winners and made a decisive move at 6-5 in the opening set to gain a one-set lead despite missing two breakpoint opportunities. 

The second set had a cagey start. However, Novak Djokovic kept making excellent use of his groundstrokes and broke through the serve of Casper Ruud in the fourth game en route to a straight-set victory on the indoor hard courts in Italy.

Casper Ruud has enjoyed an excellent season, having won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Miami, winning the titles at Buenos Aires, Geneva, and Gstaad Open and reaching the final at Roland Garris and the US Open.

However, the young Norwegian failed to penetrate the superior defense of the much more experienced Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic served nine aces, won 85% of the points on the first serve, and broke the serve of his Norwegian opponent two times from five opportunities. In contrast, Casper Ruud served six aces, won 75% of the points on the first serve and committed one double fault.

After the victory, Novak Djokovic said, "I don't know what the future holds, but I know that what I hold in my mind is a huge hunger still to win trophies. Make a history of this sport, compete on the highest level all around the world, and bring good emotions to sports fans, tennis fans. That's what drives me a lot."

The updated end-of-the-season rankings following the ATP Finals are:

 

Rank	Name	Country	Points
1	Carlos Alcaraz	Spain	6,820
2	Rafael Nadal	Spain	6,020
3	Casper Ruud	Norway	5,820
4	Stefanos Tsitsipas	Greece	5,550
5	Novak Djokovic	Serbia	4,820
6	Felix Auger-Aliassime	Canada	4,195
7	Daniil Medvedev	Russia	4,065
8	Andrey Rublev	Russia	3,930
9	Taylor Fritz	USA	3,355
10	Hubert Hurkacz	Poland	2,905