Novak Djokovic doesn’t look like a player who is aging at all. The 36-year-old star defeated three players en route to the Paris Masters Final and fought hard despite struggling with a stomach virus and exhaustion in the opening rounds of the Paris event. With an 18-match unbeaten streak, Djokovic displayed an incredible performance that cemented his place in the record books of tennis.
The Serbian star defeated Grigor Dimitrov to win a record 7th Rolex Paris Masters title and 40th ATP Masters 1000 event, ahead of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic talks about his aura on the court
Novak Djokovic produced a resilient performance to defeat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in just 98 minutes to win the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters title, after losing out in the final in 2022 to Holger Rune. The tennis star now has 97-tour-level titles and 70 Big titles, which includes 24 Grand Slam, 6 Nitto ATP Finals and 40 Masters 1000 titles.
According to Sportklub, after the win Novak Djokovic said no one is invincible, but he’s glad that other players think he is. “No one is invincible, but I am glad that there is this aura around me, that people think I am invincible & that the players feel it on the court. That’s very important to me. I want them to feel that because it puts me at a mental advantage over them.”
Novak Djokovic further went on to say that he’s trying to break all the records, “I’m going for all possible records, all that I can break. I’ve never had a problem saying that. And that’s why people don’t like me. I didn’t pretend like some people. To say that it’s not my goal, and then to behave differently after… I always tried to be in line with what I believe.”
“As far as the record for the number of ATP tournaments won is concerned, everything is possible. Why shouldn’t I try to break that record too? Now I have 12 less [than Connors] but I also have a few more years of successful tennis. I try to enjoy these moments that now mean and are worth double”, he added.
“When you consider the stage of my life & career that I am in, and to win such a big tournament. Although it may seem like a routine to people, every win at the Masters & Grand Slam levels really means so much to me.”
Novak Djokovic wins Paris Masters 2023
Novak Djokovic delivered an incredible performance to clinch a 6-4, 6-3 victory and become the first player in history to win 40 Masters 1000 crowns.
“[It’s] incredible. To be able to win it after quite challenging circumstances for me this week,” Djokovic said. “Basically, coming back from the brink of losing three matches in a row, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I was very close to losing those matches and somehow managed to find an extra gear when it was needed.”
“Today, I think we both were quite tight at the beginning, and I could see that he was running out of gas a little bit. Myself as well, but I somehow managed to find an extra shot over the net. I think the match was closer than the scoreline indicates, but another amazing win for me. I’m very proud of this one, considering what I’ve been through this week.”
Grigor Dimitrov was tearful at the end and could not hide his disappointment, as the Bulgarian is still in search of his first tour-level title since winning the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017.
