Jannik Sinner showed off superior firepower in generational clash with Djokovic in Shanghai

Sunday in Shanghai gave fans a clash of men’s-tennis generations, as well as a conversation between them. While Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic duked it out on court, Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz chatted amiably in the seats above them.

Their presence didn’t go unnoticed. Each time the camera found either man, a whoop went up from the full-house crowd.

“It’s nice to see Roger, I’m not used to seeing you in the stands,” Djokovic said during the trophy ceremony afterward. “It’s probably the first time I’m playing in front of you, so I had added pressure today.”

Djokovic was indeed under pressure in this final, but it primarily from his young opponent, rather than his old rival. Sinner was the aggressor, and it was clear from the opening games that he was working with superior firepower.

With Djokovic serving at 1-1 in the first set, the two men rallied, until Sinner injected extra pace on a down-the-line backhand to go up 0-15. On the next point, the two rallied again, until Sinner injected pace on a down-the-line forehand to go up 0-30. The 23-year-old Italian’s ability to easily elevate his power level, and send the 37-year-old Djokovic into scramble mode, felt ominous.

Sticking with the theme of tennis generations, it also felt like one tiny moment in the ATP’s long-running changing of the guard, from the Big 3 to the newly-formed Big 2 of Sinner and Alcaraz.

Credit Djokovic for fighting back—against Sinner, against their 14-year age difference, against his own shaky right knee and left hip. He served his way back to a hold at 1-1, and continued to serve well enough to stay even in the first set.

Djokovic realized right away that he would need to counter Sinner’s aggression with more of his own, and defend with all the energy he had left in him after a taxing quarterfinal and semifinal the last two days. It was almost enough to get him a set.

Djokovic didn’t face a break point through the first six service games, and twice held at love. With Sinner serving at 4-5, it was Djokovic who went up 0-30, with a backhand pass at Sinner’s feet, and a dazzling series of forehands that had the pro-Djoker crowd roaring. But Sinner, as he tends to do these days, calmly shut the door on that opening, with two service winners and a brilliant forehand-overhead combination.

Sinner carried that momentum into the first-set tiebreaker. He started with a backhand pass, an ace, and a winning forehand down the line to go up 3-0. Djokovic again fought back, and he had an easy backhand volley to make the score 4-5. Except he hit that easy backhand volley into the net, and the score was 3-6 instead. Djokovic flashed a rueful smile as he walked back to the baseline. Tennis can humble even the best ever to do it.

With the first set in hand, it didn’t take long for Sinner to separate himself from Djokovic in the second. Again it was a backhand volley miss that spelled the Serb’s doom. Serving at 1-2, 15-30, he put another one into the net to give Sinner his first break points of the afternoon. Two points later, Sinner essentially sealed the title by rocketing a forehand into the corner for a winner, and a service break. Djokovic gave him all he had in that point, and Sinner came back with something better.

“I did my best tonight. ... He deserved to win, he was just too strong in important moments.” - Novak Djokovic

“I did my best tonight,” Djokovic said. “Under the circumstances, you know, I felt maybe not a hundred percent fresh, but at the same time big credit to Jannik for playing the big points better than me, and that’s what made the difference. He deserved to win, he was just too strong in important moments.”

Sinner hit 22 winners to 12 for Djokovic in his 7-6(4), 6-3 victory, and didn’t face a break point. He finished a run of immaculate fast-court tennis in Shanghai, where he also beat another of his main rivals, Daniil Medvedev, in straight sets. Sinner became the first player in six years to win three Masters 1000 titles in a season, and cemented his place as the ATP’s No. 1-ranked player for 2024.

“I’m very happy with how I handled the situation,” Sinner said. “He was serving great the first set, I couldn’t find a way to break him. I played a really good tiebreak which gave me confidence to start off well in the second set.”

After the last point, Sinner continued another tradition of his: He raised his arms, but failed to show much of a smile, in his celebration. That’s not what fans—or photographers—look for in those moments, but maybe his even-keel approach is a secret to his success. Sinner has had a No. 1 season, one of worthy of the Big 3. But he has also been buffeted by the news of his failed doping tests; just when he thought he was clear of that controversy at the US Open, WADA announced that it still intends to try to have him suspended.

Sinner has responded by playing with less emotion, and more icy excellence than ever. He’s letting his racquet do the talking, and it’s talking a big game.