The World Number One, looking for his sixth ATP Finals crown, made light work of Andrey Rublev in his second Round Robin match with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory.
The Russian looked a shadow of the man who had beaten Stefanos Tsistsipas so impressively in the first match of the tournament. The Serb dropped his opening service game but immediately broke back, stopping Rublev from getting into get into any kind of rhythm.
As the match wore on, Djokovic got better and better – stretching, sliding and constructing some jaw-dropping points to clinch his second straight-sets result of the week. The match lasted just 68 minutes
The win means he tops the Green Group and is guaranteed a semi-final place. He hasn’t won this title since 2015, but looks like he has his eyes firmly on the prize. A trophy here on Sunday would draw him level with Roger Federer’s six titles.
With Stefanos Tsitsipas being forced to withdraw due to an elbow injury, Brit Cameron Norrie will step in to face Djokovic in his final Round Robin match on Friday.
Djokiovic said of the British Number One: ‘I like playing new players… Cameron deserves to be here. He worked his way to Turin with great wins in Indian Wells and other tournaments, so it will be fun to watch him tonight against Ruud and I’ll get ready for my next match.”
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