World No 1 Novak Djokovic joined Rafael Nadal as a 33-time Masters Champion when he swept to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim a third Madrid Open title.
The Serbian, 31 beat Rafael’s semi-final conqueror in 1 hour 32 minutes to earn the title. He raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set after breaking the Greek in the second game.
He later ensured he didn’t drop a set all tournament as he broke in the ninth game of the second set.
“This win is very important for me, especially for my confidence. I wasn’t playing my best tennis after the Australian Open so I was looking to regain the momentum. I played some of my best tennis here”, said Djokovic after the match.
Tsitsipas had a grand season that beat Roger Federer at the Australian Open additional to his win over Nadal and had also won the previous match against Djokovic at the Rogers Cup in Toronto last August.
About his opponent, Djokovic said,” I needed to step up, Tsitsipas is very talented. He beat Rafa and had a late night. He wasn’t as dynamic in his movement and that was probably due to his long match.”
