Novak Djokovic back with a bang as he claims Italian Open title

Novak Djokovic raised his first trophy of the year at the Italian Open on Sunday and showed that he’s back in top form exactly a week before the French Open starts.

After missing a large portion of the season because he wasn’t vaccinated against the coronavirus, the top-ranked Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 for his sixth Rome title.

“I’ve been building my form the last few weeks,” Djokovic said. “It couldn’t be a better timing coming into Roland Garros.”

Djokovic didn’t drop a set all week, having won his 1,000th career match over Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

It was his 12th final at the Foro Italico and the Serb said: “This court has always been very, very special.

“It’s given me joy when I really needed positive sensations. Whenever my form was a bit down I’ve found energy in this city.”

Djokovic needed only a 30 minutes to win the opening set, during which Tsitsipas got so frustrated at one point that he banged his racket against his bag during a changeover and mangled the frame.

After falling behind early in the second, Djokovic stepped up his game when Tsitsipas served for the set at 5-3.

DJOKOVIC DELIVERS