Novak Djokovic to end year as world No 1 after opening win at ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic will end the year as world No 1 for a record-extending eighth year after opening his ATP Finals campaign with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 victory over Holger Rune in Turin on Sunday.

It has been yet another sensational season from the 32-year-old Serb, who has won six titles including the Australian Open and US Open to take his record Grand Slam trophies tally to 24.

To ensure he ended the year at the top of the rankings, Djokovic needed just one win at the season-ending tournament – or have rival Carlos Alcaraz lose one match – and he prevailed in a three-hour Green Group clash with spirited debutant Rune.

Djokovic, on a run of 19 straight wins, came into the Finals off the back of his seventh triumph at the Paris Masters, his 40th victory at a Masters 100 event.

Those are two more records to add to a long and growing list for Djokovic, who is hunting a seventh Finals title which would take him one ahead of retired great Roger Federer.

"It means a lot. You could see that there were a lot of emotions on the court," said Djokovic. "I could feel it, I was very eager to win the match and get that monkey off my back. Obviously a big objective, a big goal has been achieved, everything else now is a bonus."

Djokovic looked on course for victory when he took a brutal opening set in decisive fashion, taking the tie-break with a stunning cross-court return winner.

The match looked to have turned decisively in the third game of the second set, after Rune won the first two games, Djokovic broke back in a brilliant 11-point game to eventually win at the third attempt.

Rune kept plugging away, and after the pair slugged each other with powerful hits, Djokovic slipped in the tie-break, missing a simple volley to draw level on the