Djokovic wins his sixth ATP Tour Finals championship and the biggest ever tennis paycheck of $4.7 million

On Sunday, Novak Djokovic defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-3 to win his sixth ATP Tour Finals championship.

As per AFP, the Serb who is the oldest player to win the finals registered a spectacular win after losing his seventh Wimbledon title to his vaccine status.

Seven years since his last ATP Finals victory, the latest win which comes with a $4.7 million cheque prize will move him up from eighth to fifth in the new rankings to be released on Monday. 

According to Reuters, by finishing the season-ending tournament undefeated, Djokovic received the largest tennis paycheck ever $4,740,300.

For Djokovic, who was given the all-clear to return to Melbourne for the Australian Open in January, the win marked the conclusion of a remarkable week.

It was the 23-year-old Casper Ruud’s third close call of the year; he had also lost the French Open and US Open finals, reports AFP.

“I made him run, made him play,” Djokovic said.

“I was really pleased with the way I played. I was looking to be very aggressive and it worked great. I am really pleased with the performance.”

With this win, he has matched Roger Federer’s total of six titles in the season-ending event.

“The fact that I waited seven years makes this victory even sweeter,” he said.

Due to his COVID non-vaccinated status, Djokovic was arrested at the beginning of the year and expelled from Australia. The conservative government at the time even forbade him from going back to Australia until 2025.

A dramatic loosening of immigration restrictions, according to Australia’s new Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, has now made the nine-time champion welcome to return. 

(With inputs from agencies)

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.