However, it would be just as good for Roode, who is making his ATP Finals debut, as Djokovic rallied to take the first set to the tie-break.
From there, it looked like there would be one winner.
The second set proved completely one-sided, with Djokovic taking control of the competition and eventually winning in an hour and 30 minutes.
The win takes Djokovic to 39 career wins in the ATP Tour Finals, tying Ivan Lendl for joint second. Roger Federer leads with a remarkable 59 career wins.
Djokovic, who recently achieved a world No. 1 ranking at the end of a record seventh year, has not won an ATP Finals title since 2015, despite being the most influential player on the circuit at the time.
The 34-year-old came close to equaling Federer’s record of six ATP Finals titles in 2018, when he lost in the final to this year’s No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev.
While Djokovic and Roode may be at opposite ends of their careers, the 22-year-old is already indicating that he could be one of the next generation to take the torch from tennis’s old guard.
Rudd secured an impressive five ATP titles in 2021, becoming the first Norwegian player to qualify for the prestigious year-end ATP Finals against each other in a round-robin format before progressing to the knockout stage. Makes eight.
Earlier this year, Rudd won three ATP titles in as many weeks, becoming the first man since Andy Murray in 2011 to achieve the feat.
The youngster showed impressive resilience against Djokovic on Monday, especially serving in a brutal game to take the first set to a tie-break, but is still looking for his first hard court win over a top 10 player.
The next match for Djokovic will be the winner of Monday evening’s match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev.
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