However, arguably his most remarkable result of the year came in the quarterfinal of the ATP 500 Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where the Serb was demolished 6-2 6-1 by lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego.
Novak Djokovic chose to play Vienna and give the Paris Masters a miss to consolidate his year-end World No. 1 ranking. He had no ranking points to gain in the French capital as the defending champion, while at Vienna he could accumulate up to 500 valuable points.
Djokovic won his first two rounds against Filip Krajinovic and Borna Coric, which all but confirmed the year-end No. 1 ranking (barring some extraordinary heroics from Rafael Nadal). With his major goal from Vienna accomplished, the Serb didn’t put up much of a fight in the quarterfinal, which led to a hammering from Sonego.
He admitted as much in a forthright post-match press conference, saying he is not too bothered by the result.
The World No. 1 was also full of praise for his opponent, stressing that Sonego was simply the ‘better’ player.
Novak Djokovic seemed surprisingly calm despite suffering one of the worst defeats of his career, just a few short weeks after losing the Roland Garros final in similarly lopsided fashion to Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic shifts his attention to the Nitto ATP Finals in London
Having consolidated the World No. 1 ranking in Vienna, Novak Djokovic will now turn his attention to the Nitto ATP Finals at the 02 Arena in London. Djokovic has enjoyed tremendous success at the tournament in the past, having won it five times.
Novak Djokovic is looking to equal Roger Federer with a sixth title at the ATP Finals this year, a feat that will once again enter his name into the history books. The Serb is also well on his way to beating the Swiss maestro’s all-time record for weeks spent at World No. 1; Djokovic currently stands at 292 weeks, 18 short of Federer’s 310, which he should surpass by 8 March 2021.
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