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Jannik Sinner's triumph over Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2023 Davis Cup made him the first player since Nick Kyrgios to defeat the Serb twice in a fortnight.
Sinner had the mighty task of keeping Italy alive in the tournament after Lorenzo Musetti lost in the first singles tie against Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia. Sinner faced Novak Djokovic in the second singles tie, and took the first set by breaking Djokovic's serve twice.
The Serb reversed the scoreline in the second set to send the contest into a decider. In the third set, both players held serve until Sinner broke Djokovic at 6-5 to win the contest 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, to keep Italy in the tournament.
This was the third Sinner vs. Djokovic match in two weeks; the duo competed twice at last week's ATP Finals. The Italian defeated the World No. 1 in the group stage, but Djokovic avenged that in the summit clash to win a record-extending seventh title at the year-end tournament.
By bettering the Serb at the Davis Cup, Sinner joined Nick Kyrgios in beating Djokovic two times in consecutive weeks. Kyrgios achieved the feat in 2017, when he defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the Acapulco Open quarterfinals 7-6(9), 7-5, and in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters 6-4, 7-6(3).
Nick Kyrgios has now taken to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Jannik Sinner matching his milestone, writing:
"Pretty good company I must say."
Team Italy booked their place in the final after Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego defeated Djokovic and Kecmanovic in the deciding doubles tie, 6-3, 6-4. They will face Australia in the final on November 26.
Nick Kyrgios has "no regrets" about choosing to play tennis over basketball
Nick Kyrgios' love for basketball is no secret. The Australian is often seen at basketball matches, and in January 2023 he joined an investment group buying ownership stake in the NBL team South East Melbourne Phoenix.
In a recent Instagram Q&A session, Kyrgios was asked by a fan whether he would switch sports and take up basketball if given a chance to start his career all over again. The 28-year-old responded that while he thinks choosing basketball would have brought him happiness, he has "no regrets" about picking up tennis as a career as it has positively impacted his family and friends.
"Sometimes I think to myself that I should of chosen basketball.... For my happiness, but then I think about what I've been able to do for my family and close circle and now have no regrets ☀️ ," Kyrgios answered.
