Novak Djokovic was handed a strange request at the ATP Finals in Turin on Sunday after one fan asked the player to sign his chest. And the Serbian duly obliged as he inked the man’s skin before giving him a friendly pat on the head.
Djokovic has been in scintillating form this year and lifted three of the four Grand Slam trophies as he tasted victory at the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. The 36-year-old is the favourite to win this week’s ATP Finals and began his assault on the title by defeating Holger Rune 7-6 6-7 6-3.
After battling to victory, the veteran went over to the side of the court to greet fans and sign autographs. One man wandered over to the front of the stand, gave Djokovic a firm handshake and then made his request. He then proceeded to unbutton his shirt and reveal his chest in anticipation of the signature. An amused Djokovic was more than happy to grant the fan’s wish before moving on to sign more autographs.
Djokovic was made to work hard for his victory by Rune little over a week after defeating the Dane in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters. And at one stage, the 24-time Grand Slam champion even let his emotions get the better of him as he stamped on his racket in anger.
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The blockbuster star’s latest victory means he has now won his last 19 matches and is guaranteed to finish the year as world No 1. And after the showdown, he told Amazon Prime: “It took everything. I saw in the first game when he fired shots from the baseline, I knew it was going to be a tough night for me. I thought he played great. I played great in some moments.
“Overall, a win is a win. It was a very emotional win and a tough win knowing the significance of tonight’s match. After a really terrible second-set tiebreak, I think I played a really solid third set.”
The Serbian later spoke about ending the year at the top of the world rankings for a record eighth time as he explained: “It means a lot. You could see there were a lot of emotions on the court. I could feel it. I was very eager to win tonight’s match, get that monkey off my back.
“I won Paris, which put me in a much better position rankings-wise, and I knew coming into Turin I only needed to win one match. A big goal is achieved, everything else now is a bonus.”
