In the Turin title match on Sunday, Novak Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-3 to win his sixth Nitto ATP Finals title, tying his own record. He also received an unprecedented $4.7 million payment.
The superior return game of Djokovic, who converted all five of his break point opportunities in the match, made the difference in a showdown between this week's two round-robin champions. Ruud delivered some of his usual powerful blows, but Djokovic's big-match mindset won out as he clinched a 93-minute triumph at the Pala Alpitour.
The Nitto ATP Finals have now been won by Djokovic in three different locales, including Rome, Wimbledon, Tel Aviv, and Astana. In Shanghai in 2008 and in London in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, the Serbian won. In the 53-year history of the competition, the 35-year-old also becomes the oldest champion.
Djokovic won the 2011 Nitto ATP Finals five years younger than Roger Federer, who held the record for the oldest winner. The Serbian has now won the championship at the season's end in three distinct decades, which is another another indication of his endurance and capacity to continually outperform the best.