(Football news) Both Carlos Alcaraz and the 24-time Grand Slam champion were vying for the top spot, but the latter would only have surpassed Djokovic if he had advanced through the ATP Finals undefeated while the Serbian was eliminated with no victories.

Rune, a teenage Danish player who beat Djokovic in the Paris Masters final the previous year, gave the 36-year-old a difficult time once again, but Djokovic prevailed 7-6[4] 6-7[1] 6-3 to guarantee himself another top spot at year’s end.

In addition, Djokovic topped the ATP rankings in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2021. In the latter year, he broke Pete Sampras’s previous record of six, although Alcaraz’s interrupted 2022 season saw him overtake him.

The Serbian had previously declared that finishing first at the end of the year was more important to him than winning another ATP Finals title. He also noted that any more victory in 2023 is a “bonus” following his thrilling three-hour match against Rune.

“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,” Djokovic said on the court after coming up trumps.

“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 home favorite Jannik Sinner started his career with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas before Djokovic’s first victory. Now, Sinner is set to face Djokovic in the Green group match on Tuesday night.

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