Novak Djokovic ‘credits’ vaccine ban for increasing hunger for titles as he clinches his 90th career title
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Novak Djokovic posing with the 2022 Astana Open
Novak Djokovic racks up his second consecutive title on the Tour as he defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals of the 2022 Astana Open. Djokovic won the match 6-3, 6-4 to extend his winning streak to 9 matches having clinched the title in Tel Aviv as well last week.
Djokovic has dropped only 1 set, losing the set to Daniil Medvedev in yesterday’s semi-final which was cut short due to Daniil Medvedev‘s untimely injury. The ATP-500 title in Astana is his 4th tour title and 90th of his career inching closer to 4th placed Rafael Nadal with 92 titles in the career titles list.
Asked by reporters whether the break during the North American swing increased his hunger for more titles since winning Wimbledon, Djokovic replied, “Well, it did. I could not ask for a better restart of the season. I’m super-pumped and motivated to end the season as well as I have done these past couple of weeks.”
Novak Djokovic to remain 7th in the rankings despite back-to-back titles
Djokovic is returning to action following his long absence during the months of August and September. Djokovic did not play a single match after winning the 2022 Wimbledon title and made his comeback at the 2022 Laver Cup followed by the event in Tel Aviv.
Djokovic was further asked whether he ever thought that he would win 90 career titles on the Tour. The Serb however gave a bold answer showing his self-belief and determination in becoming, if not the greatest, one of the greatest players ever to pick up the racket.
“I dared to dream, actually. I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career. Obviously, didn’t know the amount of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport.
“I’m just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life. You know, 35 is not 25. But I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic is now one title shy of matching Carlos Alcaraz for most titles won this year. With a lot of action still left for the month followed by the big events at the 2022 Paris Masters and 2022 ATP Finals where Djokovic is nearly confirmed to qualify, the Serb will be looking for a big finish.
With 4320 ranking points, inclusive of the 500 won in Astana, Djokovic remains ranked 7th in the rankings as the 6th ranked Alexander Zverev possess 5040 points showing a long road for Djokovic to overtake him.
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Sarthak Shitole
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