Jannik Sinner says what he couldn’t do against Novak Djokovic despite beating him in the Shanghai Masters final

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Jannik Sinner has secured his seventh tour-level title of the season after beating Novak Djokovic to win the Shanghai Masters.

Sinner is the youngest Shanghai Masters champion, with the Italian beating the Serbian 7-6(7-4), 6-3 in China.

The two-time Grand Slam champion now has 65 wins this season, with Sinner having just clinched the year-end number one spot.

He lost to his nearest competitor Carlos Alcaraz at the China Open earlier this month, but rapidly bounced back with his Shanghai Masters success over Djokovic.

It continues a phenomenal period for the world number one, who clinched success at the Cincinnati Masters and US Open before heading to Beijing.

What Jannik Sinner couldn’t do in Shanghai Masters win vs Novak Djokovic

But Sinner didn’t have it all his own way against Djokovic, who was chasing his 100th tour-level title in Shanghai.

The Italian analysed their clash on Sky Sports Tennis following the win, saying: “It was a very tough match, obviously, playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have.

READ MORE: Who is Jannik Sinner? Everything you need to know about the Italian tennis star and his rise to the top

“I’m very happy with how I handled the situation. He was serving great the first set, I couldn’t find a way to break him. I played a really good tie-break which gave me confidence to start off well in the second set.

“It’s tough to tell you a secret about [Djokovic] because he doesn’t have any weaknesses. You have to try and use the small chances that he gives you, but there are not many during the match. He is a legend of our sport, he’s very tough to play against, so I am very happy.”

Jannik Sinner sends warning with Shanghai Masters victory

Djokovic had been flying high in Shanghai, which was perhaps unsurprising given he is a record four-time champion of the event.

But Sinner stood firm against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, clinching the first set thanks to his fantastic serving ability.

The Italian won 81% of points behind his first delivery to take an early lead, before securing the title in just over one hour and 30 minutes.

READ MORE: Jannik Sinner says if he thinks he has similarities with Novak Djokovic after Shanghai Masters round of 32 win

Sinner has now brought his head-to-head record with the Serbian to 4-4, but that rivalry is likely to take a few more twists and turns in the near future.

The imperious world number one has now sent another warning to his fellow professionals ahead of the ATP Finals next month.