Paris Masters final: Djokovic shows true colours as Dimitrov in tears after loss
Novak Djokovic has won his 40th Masters 1000 title in Paris.
Novak Djokovic has continued his bid to end the year as the world No 1 once again with a convincing victory over Grigor Dimitrov to win the Paris Masters for the seventh time in his career. Look back on Express Sport's coverage from the match below.
KEY EVENTS
- First set Djokovic15:05
Goodbye for now
That's all from us in the live blog but Express Sport's Yasmin Syed is on hand to provide the latest from both press conferences in Bercy.
Goodbye for now!
Djokovic shows support to Dimitrov
Classy from Djokovic at the end there as he stopped his post-match interview to go over to console an emotional Grigor Dimitrov.
The Bulgarian struggled to hold back the tears as he had a towel covering his face.
The Parisian crowd then showed their love for Dimitrov who had tears in his eyes as he got up out of his chair to thank the crowd for their support.
Djokovic wins!
That's Paris Masters title No 7 for the world No 1!
Djokovic barely broke a sweat in that final.
Dimitrov didn't do much wrong in either set, but Djokovic was clinical when it mattered most to break at crucial parts.
The Bulgarian's spirit was destroyed after the break in the second with Djokovic doing what was needed to get the job done.
That's FORTY Masters 1000 titles now for the Serbian superstar!
First set Djokovic
It's been an extremely close contest but Novak Djokovic took the only break point opportunity of the entire set to take the early lead.
Dimitrov won't be too disheartened at how the first set went, but that will certainly hurt that he wasn't able to take the lead.
All to do now for the Bulgarian!
Here we go
A light show to start proceedings in Bercy with both players making their way out onto court.
It's time and Dimitrov receives a huge ovation as he comes out onto the court.
Get the feeling very quickly that the crowd are going to side with the underdog throughout the match.
Nothing Djokovic hasn't faced before and he's thrived in those kinds of atmospheres throughout his career.
Dimitrov admits to 'mistakes'
Grigor Dimitrov's resurgence in Paris has been the talking point of the tournament with the Bulgarian hoping to take his opportunity with both hands.
"I want to win or lose on my own terms. That brings me back again to another point, how everything has been happening on and off the court in my life is the same thing.
"I can control my attitude, and I don't want to feel sorry for myself for the past years. I don't want to feel like I have missed opportunities. Yes, have I? Yeah, of course, too many, if you ask me. Have I made mistakes? Yes, too many," he said.
Odds against Dimitrov
It's been over 10 years since Dimitrov's last win over Djokovic back in 2013 at the Madrid Masters.
They played twice this year with Djokovic tested in both matches, but Dimitrov will have to try something different to upset the odds.
\ud83d\udd70\ufe0f Last time Dimitrov beat Djokovic:
\u2014 Olly \ud83c\udfbe\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@Olly_Tennis_) November 5, 2023
- Alcaraz was 10 years old
- Gauff was 9 years old
- Djokovic had 6 Majors
- Sinner\u2019s main sport was skiing
- Dimitrov had never won a title
- iPhone 5 was just announced
- Obama just started his 2nd term
Anyone picking Grigor to win? \ud83e\udee3 pic.twitter.com/uLFh5DbTIW
Djokovic fitness concern
Djokovic is undeniably the more talented player in today's final, but Dimitrov's chances may be helped by the Serbian's fitness concerns.
Djokovic has needed a few medical time-outs this week and received treatment on his back before the third set against Andrey Rublev on Saturday.
Dimitrov will certainly want to test his rival's resolve in the final with Djokovic seemingly not at 100 per cent.
Pegula's biggest moment
Jessica Pegula reached her “biggest final ever” amid more chaos at the season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico.
Top players have been complaining all week about the last-minute organisation and court conditions in Cancun.
And rain and heavy winds over the weekend will see the singles final now played on Monday - the day before the Billie Jean King Cup finals start in Seville.
The American world No.5 booked her place by beatin her doubles partner and US Open champion Coco Gauff 6-2 6-1 in a match twice interrupted by rain.
Pegula has never got beyond the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam before - and lost all three matches on her WTA Finals debut last year.
“I managed to get my act together at the end of the year,” she said. “I’ve done a good job of resetting coming here
"It's probably my biggest final ever .It's going to give me a lot of confidence going into next year."
Furious Navratilova demands change
Over at the WTA finals, the iconic Martina Navratilova is using her status and voice to demand alterations to the system.
She becomes the latest figure from the world of tennis to pile pressure on the WTA after saying it will be ‘hard’ for CEO Steve Simon to stay in his role after recent criticism.
Putting together of the 2023 offering of the WTA Finals was deemed chaotic, with the host venue not being announced until September.
It shouldn’t have come that late in the year, making this decision. There was a sequence of bad decisions,” 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Navratilova said on Amazon Prime.
“Ultimately, Steve Simon has been the boss for nine years and here we are. Players adjusted and they had to but to come to Cancun in the rainy season?
"You cannot be hoping it’s not gonna rain at a premier event for the WTA Tour. It was just a whole bunch of decisions.
“You have to own the bad decisions you made and make some choices after that.”
Nadal lifeline
He's not at the Paris Masters, but one man who loves playing his tennis in France is none other than Rafa Nadal.
The Spanish icon has weighed heavily on fans' heartstrings this season, with many sensing that his illustrious tennis career is coming to an end.
There may however be a way to both prolong this, and also ensure Olympic glory.
His Uncle Toni, who is famously outspoken, has been drawing up a few plans.
Former Paris champ now cheats death
David Nalbandian once reached a Wimbledon final and won the Paris Masters during his tennis career but now has a very different profession.
The 41-year-old, who climbed as high as third in the ATP singles rankings, scooped 11 titles during his 13-year tennis career spanning from 2000 to 2013.
The Unquillo native needed more thrill in his life once the tennis days had concluded. The adrenaline simply was not pumping in the same way that it used to.
Rublev refuses to play Djokovic
Andrey Rublev put on one of his most impressive mental performances as he went toe-to-toe with Djokovic for three hours on Saturday evening.
The world No 5 was just three points from victory on a couple of occasions in the second set but just lost out when he hit a double fault while serving to stay in the match.
Speaking graciously in defeat, Rublev surprised audience members when he said he would not be playing Djokovic again.
Good morning one and all
Welcome to the French capital, where today Novak Djokovic is bidding to add yet another jewel to his glistening tennis crown.
Express Sport will bring you live updates all day, around the clock.
Tennis reporter Yasmin Syed is on the ground at the Rolex Paris Masters, bringing all the insight, gossip and bits you rarely get to see or hear about.
Stay tuned.