Throwback to when an ailing Novak Djokovic overcame Denis Shapovalov to lift the 2019 Paris Masters title

ATP
Wednesday, 04 December 2024 at 06:30
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Serbian tennis superstar is one of the most resilient players in tennis history, and the former World No.1 has shown this trait on several occasions, with his run to the 2019 Paris Masters title being noteworthy.

Djokovic faced a red-hot Denis Shapovalov in the final, who was playing some of the best tennis of his young career at the time. Conversely, Djokovic had a shaky start to the event and had shown signs of exhaustion during the tournament.

Shapovalov unable to overcome Djokovic's experience

The Serbian had struggled in the early rounds against Frenchman Corentin Moutet, before having to power past Kyle Edmund, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the title clash. Fortunately, Djokovic seemed to get better with each match, which did not bode well for his Canadian opponent.

Shapovalov was coming into the biggest final of his career, and the then-20 year old tried to dictate play with his big serve and booming groundstrokes. However, Djokovic's experience proved to be superior, frustrating his younger opponent, forcing errors as Shapovalov tried to hit through the Serbian.

A year after losing the title to Karen Khachanov, Djokovic would find himself back in the winners circle, recording a 6-3 6-4 victory in just an hour and five minutes to capture his fifth Paris Masters trophy.

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