It was a fitting end to the 2022 ATP season with Novak Djokovic raising the trophy by defeating Casper Ruud in the final.

As soon as the first ball was hit, one got the sense that Djokovic was going to put on a show at the ATP finals. That’s exactly what he did, disposing of five world-class opponents on his way to the title. He answered every call and responded to every threat posed by the opposition. In the group stage, he disposed of Tsitsipas, Rublev, and Medvedev. In the semis, it would be Fritz. In the final, he would dispose of Casper Ruud in dominating fashion.

This is Djokovic’s sixth ATP Finals title and first since 2015. It’s been a long seven years since his last one, and this one will probably be one of the sweetest ones. Djokovic received no points for his Wimbledon win and was banned from playing in Australia and the US Open due to his unvaccinated status. He played sparingly during the year given his status, which is more impressive that he should show up at such a world-class event and dominate.

Djokovic may be sending a message to the tour for 2023. During the tournament, it was announced that he would be able to play in the Australian Open in 2023, a tournament that he’s won a record nine times. If Novak is allowed to play a full schedule next year, expect him to be at the very top of the game once again. Nobody has answers when the Djokovic game is going at full speed. He’s offensive, defensive, fast, athletic, you name it. The man is impossible to hit through. The message is lookout ATP Tour, I’m going to take on all comers, new and old, and beat you down.

Just as one thought the world order of tennis was shifting just a little bit, here comes Novak to throw a nice cold bucket of cold water onto the narrative. Indeed, Carlos Alcaraz may have finished number one, but does anyone really think that Carlos Alcaraz can beat Novak Djokovic at a tournament like the Australian Open or the US Open? Not likely. The wonderful thing about all this is that we’ll get to see just that! Bring on the Australian Open.

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