Novak Djokovic has been handed an enormous enhance in his hope to scrape into the end-of-season ATP Finals.
Whereas the 24-time Grand Slam champion has insisted making it into the ultimate eight in Turin is just not a significant goal for him within the last weeks of 2024, he’s heading to Shanghai to play in a Masters 1000 occasion and also will compete on the ATP Tour common season finale on the Paris Masters subsequent month.
A record-breaking seven-time ATP Finals champion, Djokovic has insisted he won’t be involved if he misses out on an look in Turin this yr as he stated: “Torino is just not my purpose in any respect, to be sincere, I’m not chasing ATP Finals, I’m not chasing the rankings and so forth,” he informed reporters in Serbia.
“So far as I’m involved, I’m executed with these tournaments for my profession. Whether or not I’ll play in different tournaments this yr or sooner or later, I can’t say proper now.
“My predominant priorities are enjoying for the nationwide crew and Slams, all the pieces else is much less vital.
“After that [Shanghai], I’m going to see what I’m going to do,” Djokovic added.
“Normally in my profession I used to have my schedule prepared six months prematurely, however these days that’s not the case, now it’s extra spontaneous.
“Firstly, I must bodily, emotionally and mentally relaxation in an effort to even begin pondering what I wish to do subsequent, in what means, how a lot and the place.”
Djokovic might want to carry out properly in these two occasions to make the reduce for the ATP Finals, the place he could be trying to defend his title if he qualifies.
Djokovic is at the moment sitting in place No 9 within the race to qualify for Turin, along with his qualification hopes out of arms as a number of the gamers forward of him are set to play extra tournaments.
US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz is among the gamers chasing a spot on the ATP Finals and he would have been hoping to make progress on the Japan Open as he seems to be to spice up his rating level whole for 2024.
But he misplaced his opening match in opposition to rising French star Arthur Fils, making certain he wouldn’t get an opportunity to safe his place in Turin for a couple of extra days at the very least.
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Fritz is at the moment sitting in fifth place within the ATP Race and appears to be in fine condition to make Turin, however Djokovic is 630 factors behind him and will shut that hole if he performs properly in Shanghai.
Djokovic is extra more likely to overhaul Alex de Minaur in eighth place, as he’s nonetheless combating the damage that compelled him to tug out of Wimbledon in July and hampered him in his US Open quarter-final defeat in opposition to Britain’s Jack Draper.
De Minaur was not named in Australia’s crew for the Davis Cup Finals in November, so it’s unclear whether or not he’ll play once more this yr.
Djokovic may additionally overhaul Andrey Rublev in seventh place within the ATP Race, whereas Casper Ruud may be in his sights in sixth place.
The Serbian can also must look over his shoulder at gamers going previous him if he stands by his determination to play a restricted schedule within the subsequent few weeks.
Grigor Dimitrov has had a superb yr and can fancy his probabilities of ending on a excessive by showing on the ATP Finals.
Queen’s Membership champion Tommy Paul can be within the combine for Turin as he at the moment sits in eleventh place within the ATP Race, however Stefanos Tsitsipas’ hopes of rising from his present place of 12 had been dealt a blow as he misplaced 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in opposition to American qualifier Alex Michelsen in Japan.
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