Novak Djokovic bags 1,000th career win to reach Italian Open final, will face Stefanos Tsitsipas for title
Novak Djokovic earned his 1,000th tour-level victory by beating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the Italian Open final. Djokovic will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the title clash on Sunday, with the Serbian playing in the final in Rome for the fourth straight time and 12th overall. It will be a repeat of last year's French Open final, which Djokovic won after fighting back from two sets down. "Again, another final against him in one of the biggest tournaments we have in the world," Djokovic told reporters. "He's definitely in form. I can expect a big battle, but I'm ready for it." The 34-year-old is only the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the 1,000 wins milestone after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rafael Nadal.
