Novak Djokovic and Denis Shapovalov set for Paris Masters title clash

Novak Djokovic and Denis Shapovalov will face off in the finals of the Paris Masters on Sunday evening. Djokovic will be hoping to get his hands on the fifth Paris Masters whereas Shapovalov will be looking to lift his first ATP 1000 title. 

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Djokovic looking to add to the tally

The two players have met thrice already this year – Australian Open, Rome Masters and Shanghai Masters. Djokovic won all three occasions. The Serbian beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals and is looking to go into the ATP Finals later this month with a strong defense for the world number one ranking. Djokovic has already won the tournament on four occasions and will hope to add to the tally. After qualifying for the finals, Djokovic said, “It is very satisfying honestly because I haven’t really been feeling my best throughout the week. But I’ve been playing really well the past couple of matches. I am looking forward to the final tomorrow. 

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Shapovalov, on the other hand, is playing his first ATP 1000 Masters title and the 20-year-old is hoping to make history with the win. On Saturday, he announced that he will not be participating in the ATP Next Gen finals citing rest. In a statement, he apologized to the fans for withdrawing from the tournament even though he was excited to play. Giving a reason, he said, “My team and I have made the decision that I need to rest after Paris as my body will not be able to handle another week. Thank you so much for your support.”  

Shapovalov will be going into the finals with some rest after his semifinals opponent withdrew from the tournament minutes before the match citing an abdominal injury. Shapovalov said, “It's going to be a different match. But of course, I feel like the way I played against Gael was unbelievable. It was kind of one of those days where everything was going in for me. So I hope I can bring the same kind of level that I did against him. But at the same time, Novak is a different player. So it's going to be a different kind of game and it's going to be different tennis.

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