ATP Finals: Ruthless Djokovic crushes Rublev

Novak Djokovic qualified for the knockouts of the 2022 ATP Finals in style, defeating Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Wednesday. Having already beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in his opener, the former World No. 1 continued his marauding run at the tournament with a flawless 6-4, 6-1 victory.Rublev, coming into the contest after a morale-boosing win over Daniil Medvedev in his first match, stood no match for the 21-time Grand Slam champion on the night, at times looking very frustrated on court. As Djokovic racked up the winners on both ends of the court, the Russian cut a sorry figure, coming close to breaking his racquet on more than one occasion.Overall, the seventh seed won 60 points in the match as compared to Rublev’s 38. With Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas set to face off in the second session match, the 21-time Grand Slam champion is assured of finishing in the top spot at the end of the day and is all but assured of qualifying in top spot from the group.Having already won the tournament five times till date, the former World No. 1 is only two wins away from equaling Roger Federer’s record of six titles at the year-end championships. The last time Djokovic won the competition was in 2015, when he beat Federer in the final.