The Serbian showcased his champion’s mindset last week at the Rolex Paris Masters to extend his winning streak to 18 matches and become the first player to win 40 ATP Masters 1000 crowns.
Djokovic followed a trio of three-set wins, completed while battling a stomach virus, with a championship-match triumph against Grigor Dimitrov to seal a record-extending seventh title in Paris-Bercy.
“Considering the circumstances I had in the last seven days, this win has more weight and more value and it’s extra sweet, particularly at this stage of my career,” said Djokovic on Sunday after his straight-sets final win.
“I don’t even know in which stage of my career I am anymore, but I think that every win in a big tournament, maybe the value is double nowadays.”
Djokovic has not lost since his epic Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz in July and the 36-year-old is now 51-5 for the season heading into the Nitto ATP Finals.
The final lineup for the event, to be held in Turin from 12-19 November, was set this week, and Djokovic could hardly have enjoyed better preparation as he aims to move clear of Roger Federer by becoming champion for a record seventh time at the season finale.
“I had the perfect score in Torino last year, five out of five matches. I like playing there. I think I connect well with the Italian crowd,” said Djokovic. “I’m going there with good feelings, with a lot of confidence. I haven’t lost a match since the Wimbledon final, so I’m really excited to hopefully finish off the season on a high.”
Credit: ATP Tour