TURIN/STARNBERG, November 15, 2022

Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas for the ninth straight time in the players’ first match in the Red Group at the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday evening.

The 35-year-old Serbian has beaten the Greek in his third straight tournament following wins in Astana, Kazakhstan and at the Rolex Paris Masters.

On a MISSION 💪@DjokerNole defeats Tsitsipas to move up in the Red Group at the #NittoATPFinals! pic.twitter.com/cWHz6HmEaJ

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 14, 2022

“All the matches we’ve played have been decided by two or three points and that was again the case tonight,” Djokovic said, who broke Tsitsipas in the opening game and closed the match out after one hour and 38 minutes.

“The first game was very important to break his serve,” the World No. 8 said of the fast indoor court in Turin. “Starting with a break of serve is obviously a huge boost in confidence and a relief as well because we both knew it would be a tight match.”

Djokvoic will next play Andrey Rublev on Wednesday. The Russian fought past his compatriot Daniil Medvedev in three sets in his first match earlier in the day.