This article originally appeared on The Grandstand.
Expert picks are back for the Nitto ATP Finals championship match on Sunday, when world No. 1 Novak Djokovic faces crowd favorite Jannik Sinner. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (4) Jannik Sinner
Ricky Dimon: This is a rematch of what has been the best match of the tournament to date. During round-robin competition in the Green Group, Sinner outlasted Djokovic 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in a battle that lasted more than three hours. Asking the 22-year-old Italian to beat Djokovic twice in the same tournament is simply too much. Djokovic is already a six-time champion of this event and he is making his ninth final appearance. The top-seeded Serb was absolutely dominant in his semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz, too. That being said, this could be another thriller. Sinner is 4-0 in this week and is playing incredible tennis in front a raucous Turin crowd. I can’t pick against Djokovic because he will be more motivated than he was on Tuesday, when it wasn’t a must-win situation. But it’s not going to be easy. Djokovic in 3: 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Cheryl Murray: It’s a rematch from just a few days ago. Sinner played inspired tennis to give Djokovic his first loss since he fell short in the Wimbledon title match against Alcaraz. It was the first time Sinner managed to get a ‘W’ against Djokovic. The problem (for Sinner and the Carota Boys, anyway), is that this isn’t a round-robin match. On Sunday they are playing for all the marbles. And Djokovic is just…different when he’s playing in the final. Sure, Sinner’s going to have the crowd in a frenzy. And the Italian has been in the form of his young career this fall. I’d even generally say that the surface is a slight edge to Sinner, since it’s quick enough that it limits the amount of retrieving the world No. 1 can do. But even with all of that said, unless Djokovic is playing a peak Rafael Nadal at the French Open I simply do not pick against the Serb when he is in a title match. He’s too clutch and he’s done it so many times; he’s an expert at managing the pressure. Djokovic in 3: 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-2.
Pete Ziebron: Can Sinner actually accomplish the nearly unthinkable task of defeating Djokovic twice in less than a week? He is most definitely going to give it his best shot and–if successful–will have run the table, going a perfect five-for-five in matches played and won in securing the ATP Finals title. Although this is unchartered territory for the Italian, Djokovic is more than familiar with the course and his seeking his seventh title in nine appearances in the final at the year-ending event. This time it is unlikely that Djokovic will lose a service game up 40-0, as he did much to the delight of the partisan and wild Italian crowd when they met in the qualification rounds. My biggest takeaway from both semifinals was the fact that Djokovic was a perfect four-for-four in break points saved against Alcaraz. Ironically, Sinner was also not broken in the two opportunities that Medvedev had on Saturday. Now, with the amount of information he extracted from their recent previous match, Djokovic will also be better able to maintain his composure with the crowd. I expect that to help him secure early breaks in each set, and his ability to successfully protect his own serve will steer him to the win. Djokovic in 2: 6-3, 6-4.