If there were any lingering doubts about Novak Djokovic's form as the French Open approaches, he has methodically addressed them with his racket over the course of the past week. In the Italian Open final yesterday, he first soared and then efficiently dealt with adversity before defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-0, 7-6 (5).
After clinching his 1,000th career victory on Saturday, Djokovic has now won a record-extending 38 Masters 1000 titles and six Italian Open titles in 12 finals. It was his first title since the Paris Masters in November after barely playing in the first three months of the year and being deported from Australia because of his decision not to take a Covid vaccination. Djokovic defeated top-10 players in three consecutive matches in Rome and Tsitsipas, ranked fifth, is his biggest scalp of the year.
Djokovic came out of the blocks on fire, serving well, relentlessly landing deep returns and controlling the majority of exchanges as he timed his forehand sweetly and refused to offer any free points. Tsitsipas, however, despite having won more matches and points than any other player on clay this year, was dire.
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