Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-0, 7-6(5))
Novak Djokovic came to the Italian Open final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, he saw, and he conquered, claiming his sixth career Rome Masters title in the process.
The Italian Open 2022 odds had Djokovic as the big favourite to win the tournament, and the World No. 1 did not disappoint; he did not drop a single set en route to winning his first ATP Tour title since the Paris Masters last November.
Read on below as SBOTOP recounts another dominant Djokovic performance over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Italian Open final.
Highlights of the game
Djokovic was coming off a convincing straight-sets win over top 10-ranked Casper Ruud in the semi-finals, and he wasted very little time in asserting his control in the final as he broke Tsitsipas’ serve in the very first game.
And Djokovic claimed break point again just a couple of games later as he outlasted Tsitsipas on a couple of key rallies.
Tsitsipas was not helping his own cause as he failed to make some crucial shots. But on the whole, he was simply unable to keep pace with Djokovic’s impressive shot-making as the World No. 1 went on to emphatically win the first set, 6-0.
Tsitsipas finally looked more competitive in the second set as he broke Djokovic’s serve in the fourth game. He then did well to hold serve in the very next game to build up a commanding 4-1 lead.
Djokovic was then on the verge of having his serve broken again in the very next game that would have seen him go down 5-1, but he delivered a brilliant backhanded shot to force a deuce. And after getting the advantage, Djokovic sealed the game with a powerful ace to get back to 4-2.
Tsitsipas came right back and held serve to go up 5-2, but Djokovic would not back down. The Serb produced a couple of fantastic forehand winners as well as another ace to make it 5-3.
Then came the crucial game. Tsitsipas’ attempted drop shot fell well short, which gave Djokovic two crucial break points. And the World No. 1 only needed one shot to convert as he got the all-important break.
Both players held serve for the next few games, with Djokovic forcing a tie-break. And in the tie-break, Djokovic continued with his fine shot-making while Tsitsipas missed his chances. His attempted backhand went into the net, which gave Djokovic the 3-2 advantage as he went to serve.
Tstisipas would once again pull level at 5-5 after a hard-fought rally, but Djokovic would not be denied. The World No. 1 held his nerve as Tsitsipas missed two more missed shots, which gave him the two points he needed to seal the straight-sets victory.
Key statistics
The final statistics bear out just how dominant Djokovic was. His service game was excellent as he finished with six aces, put 70 per cent of his first serves in play and won 81 per cent of 1st serve points as well as 56 per cent of 2nd serves.
Tsitsipas, on the other hand, put 66 per cent of first serves in play and won 64 per cent of 1st serve points and just 35 per cent of 2nd serves.
Meanwhile, Djokovic was absolutely incredible in the net as he won all eight of net points compared to Tsitsipas’ 7-of-13. And Djokovic delivered plenty of Italian Open 2022 highlights with a whopping 31 winners, while Tsitsipas finished with only 11.
With this win, Djokovic has now claimed six Italian Open titles in his career. Although, he still has some way to go to catch up to rival Rafael Nadal, who holds the record with 10 Italian Open titles.
What’s next?
After Rome, it’s off to Paris for the top tennis players in the world as they play in the second Grand Slam of the season, the French Open.
After falling short in both Hungary and Madrid, Djokovic appears to be peaking at the right time on clay as he goes in search of his third French Open title and second in a row.
With the status of King of Clay Rafa Nadal in doubt due to a nagging foot injury, Djokovic could have a great chance to defend his title.
Teenager Carlos Alcaraz, who took out both Nadal, Djokovic, and World No. 3 Alexander Zverev en route to the title in Madrid, will also be one of the stars to watch out for in Paris, as well as Tsitsipas, who pushed Djokovic to five gruelling sets in last year’s French Open final.
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