Novak Djokovic just signed her resignation papers after it was confirmed that…

He has been imprisoned, expelled from one nation, and prohibited from entering two more that are significant tennis tournaments.

Due to his unwavering refusal to receive the Covid-19 vaccination, he was forced to miss a significant portion of the season and learn how to remain focused while waiting on the phone for calls informing him that the travel regulations had changed. Due to his illness, he had to play through to the end of Friday’s mainly pointless encounter against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

For Novak Djokovic, a year has passed. He obstinately turned down the opportunity to defend his Australian Open championship, lost to Rafael Nadal in a thrilling quarterfinal match at the French Open, raised the trophy at Wimbledon, and forfeited his right to compete in the U.S. Open.

Nonetheless, men’s tennis is mostly unchanged as the 2022 tennis season mercilessly comes to an end at the ATP Finals. Despite his year as a part-time sensation, Djokovic is a one-level player who dominates the sport, particularly on indoor hardcourts, leaving rivals wondering whether he will ever give up and stop their suffering.

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It would seem unwise to wager on either of those possibilities at this time. So, even at the close of a year that could have broken so many others, resignation.

Take heed of Casper Ruud, the fourth-ranked player in the world and a two-time Grand Slam finalist this year, including on the U.S. Open hardcourts. He would give his racket to someone else if the result of a match on an indoor hard court determined his life.

This Thursday, the soft-spoken Norwegian Ruud declared, “I would choose Novak.”

Or 25-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev, whose forehand so many players yearn after.

Shortly after losing to Djokovic 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday, Rublev declared, “He’s the favorite in every tournament that he plays.”

As he talked, Rublev’s strawberry-blond hair flowed in all directions, giving the impression that he had spent an hour spinning in a clothes dryer rather than playing Djokovic. When Djokovic hits his zone, which he very definitely did, the two experiences could seem uncannily identical.

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It was regarded by Djokovic as one of his best games of the year.

On Wednesday, he stated, “Everything was running incredibly well.” Remember that Djokovic is 35 years old. Pete Sampras, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, passed away at the age of 32.

During their grueling, three-hour contest that was as tough as a practice match gets, Djokovic was gasping for air and consuming energy drinks, as Medvedev had ended his most recent two-year run at the top of the world rankings earlier this year. In the round robin stage of the competition, Medvedev dropped his first two games, eliminating any chance of moving on to the semifinals on Saturday. Even though Medvedev served for the match in the third set, Djokovic won 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(2), despite not feeling his best. After a laser forehand down the line sealed the deal, he thumped his heart with his fist. On Saturday, he will play Taylor Fritz in a semifinal match.