Novak Djokovic missed the chance to claim the 100th title of his distinguished career as Jannik Sinner won a high-class Shanghai Masters final.

World number one Sinner continued his dominant form this season with a 7:6 (7:4), 6:3 win over the 37-year-old Serb.

Djokovic wanted to become only the third man to win a lot of titles after Jimmy Connors (109) and the watching Roger Federer (103).

The carrot of the century provided additional motivation for Djokovic in Shanghai.

This was also an opportunity to show the younger generation that it still has the quality and durability to beat them at the biggest prizes.

However, a few mistakes from the 24-time Grand Slam champion at crucial moments in Sunday's final proved costly and allowed Sinner to claim key points.

The 23-year-old Italian, whose doping case remains in the background despite being initially acquitted, played impeccably and secured his seventh title in a remarkable year.

Sinner, whose successes included the Australian Open and the US Open, won 65 of his 71 games in 2024.

Despite the loss, Djokovic has plenty of positives to take from a tournament where he showcased some of his best tennis of the year.

However, Sinner's third consecutive defeat is a telling statistic as the veteran looks to continue pushing the next generation under the leadership of Sinner and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

“It's hard to tell you the secret (to beating Djokovic) because he has no weaknesses,” Sinner said.

“You have to take advantage of the few opportunities it offers you. He is a legend of our sport and it is very difficult to play against him.”

How Sinner ousted Djokovic

In a tight first set full of good serves and ball striking, neither player had a chance of a break, and there was no deuce in any of the twelve games that led to the tiebreak.

Both men have strong tiebreaking records this season, but it was Sinner who took control after taking a 4-0 lead.

Djokovic cut the deficit to 5-3 and then fired a backhand volley into the net for three set points.

A sharp backhand on a second serve helped him save the first before he pulled a return wide to give Sinner the set.

Djokovic won the same number of points as Sinner (73 each) in the opening set, thus demonstrating his good lead.

In the second set, Djokovic missed another backhand volley at the net.

It brought the first break points of the game in Sinner's favor and the top seed took the second emphatically with a forehand winner that even Djokovic couldn't react to.

The break was decisive and irretrievable for Djokovic.

Sinner continued to defend and attack superbly and offered Djokovic no chance as he won the Shanghai title for the first time.