World’s number one, Novak Djokovicclinched his first title in more than six months on Sunday after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 (5) to win the Italian Open.
Djokovic did not drop a set en route to the final in Rome, after earning his 1,000th win at the level by beating Casper Ruud in the semi-final to book a clash with Tsitsipas, a repeat of the final of the french open last year, which the Serb won.
A sixth consecutive victory for Djokovic over his Greek opponent seemed inevitable as he advanced into the first set with a breakneck hitting display, for which Tsitsipas had no answer.
However, the name of Tsitsipas resonated in Central Field in the fourth game of the second set, as an unforced error by Djokovic gave the Greek tennis player two break points, the first of which he converted to take a 3-1 lead in the set.
After Tsitsipas held on to make it 4-1, Djokovic picked up the pace, winning five of the next seven games to take him to a playoff before sealing his sixth World Cup title. Italian Openand his first since winning the Paris Masters in November.
It’s been the perfect week for the 34-year-old, who became just the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the 1,000-win milestone after Jimmy Conners, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl Y Rafael Nadalbefore the start of the French Open next Sunday.