Novak Djokovic has expressed his regrets over a racquet-smashing outburst during his win over Holger Rune in his first match at the ATP Finals on Sunday. The World No.1 sealed the year-end top ranking in a 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 win, meaning he can’t be overtaken by Carlos Alcaraz in 2023.

But the 24-time grand slam champion didn’t have things all his own way and was left fuming when he dropped the second set. After the opening few games of the third set, Djokovic walked over to his court-side bench and destroyed two racquets.

The Serbian star stomped on the frames of the racquets angrily, leaving them broken in half. The outburst seemed to lift some tension from the World No.1, who immediately gained the decisive break in the next game.

A composed Djokovic then went on with things against the young Dane, who produced a valiant performance against the 24-time major winner. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Djokovic admitted he felt bad about the outburst.

“Some people are saying that if you want to use that word ‘pragmatic’ for me to do that because then I can release whatever tension I’m holding and frustration and move on, maybe that was the case tonight,” he said. “But I wouldn’t encourage anybody doing that. Neither do I encourage myself.

“I’m not happy. I’m not happy with that. I definitely don’t like that I have done that, but I have done it and that is it and I have to take responsibility. Yeah, I guess in some cases it has happened in the past where I do that and come back playing more freely, I guess, just letting go. There are different ways, maybe smarter ways to let go of the frustration than breaking a racquet.”