Djokovic beats Tsitsipas to win ATP Madrid title

The World No. 1 defeated #NextGenATP Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Mutua Madrid Open, equaling Rafael Nadal’s record of 33 ATP Masters 1000 titles. It is also Djokovic’s 200th victory against a Top 10 opponent (200-90).

“These are the best tournaments, biggest tournaments we have in our sport, in the ATP, of course alongside the Grand Slams,” Djokovic said on court after his win. “This is as important and as good as it gets.”

Djokovic arrived in the Caja Magica having made just one quarter-final in three tournaments since lifting the trophy at the Australian Open. But the Serbian found his top level for a third triumph in Madrid, having also emerged victorious in 2011 and 2016. The 31-year-old has never lost a championship match in the Spanish capital (3-0) and he now owns 74 tour-level trophies (74-33).

“I’m very pleased. I was saying after yesterday’s semi-final win that it was a very, very important win for me for my confidence. I wasn’t playing my best tennis after Australia so I was looking to regain the momentum this week. I started off well. I didn’t drop a set the entire tournament, so I’m very pleased. I played some of my best tennis here.”

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Djokovic put immediate pressure on the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion, earning two break points in Tsitsipas’ first service game. Although the eighth seed staved off the Serbian’s first opportunity with an inside-out forehand winner, Tsitsipas missed an inside-in forehand approach shot long to give the top seed the early break.

That set the tone for the match, and Djokovic never cracked in his one-hour, 33-minute victory. He did not face a break point in the match to earn €1,202,520 and 1,000 ATP Ranking points. “Obviously I needed to step in. He’s very talented. He beat Rafa yesterday and I think they finished the match around midnight. He had a very late night. I could see he wasn’t as dynamic in his movements as he was last night. That’s probably due to the long match he had. But he’s had a terrific week and it’s a big win obviously for me today and in this tournament. I’m really looking forward to continuing this streak in Rome.”

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