Djokovic sees Madrid victory as perfect Roland Garros platform
MADRID: Novak Djokovic said his impressive burst of form which won him a third Madrid Open title and 33rd Masters could prove decisive in his assault on the French Open. The world number one joined Rafael Nadal on top of the all-time Masters list when he swept to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final in the Spanish capital.
It was the second title of the season for Djokovic, adding to his triumph in the Australian Open. He hadn’t won in Madrid since 2016, with his other title in the Spanish capital coming in 2011. Nadal and Djokovic have five more Masters 1000 titles than Roger Federer, third in the alltime list.
The 31-year-old Djokovic, who now has 200 wins against top 10 opponents, had struggled after winning the Australian Open, with his best result since then having been a quarter-final appearance in Monte Carlo at the start of the clay-court season. “At this very important time for me in the season, the win gives me a lot of confidence prior to Rome and, of course, Roland Garros where I definitely want to play my best,” said the 15-time major winner.
Djokovic dominated a clearly exhausted Tsitsipas less than 24 hours after the 20-year-old Greek had stunned five-time champion Nadal in a semi-final which ended around midnight on Saturday. Djokovic and Nadal will now attempt to claim a 34th Masters title in Rome this week in a key indicator ahead of Roland Garros which gets under way on May 26.
Djokovic credits a keys wins in Madrid with helping him to his first final since winning the Australian Open three months ago. He will be bidding to collect his fourth consecutive title at a Grand Slam when he plays in Paris where he was also champion in 2016.
“This win was very important for my level of confidence because after the Australian Open I wasn’t playing my best,” he said.
“I wasn’t finding the right game and the consistency on the court in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo. I felt like I was close and needed a little bit of a push, which came against Dominic Thiem in the semi-final in a very close match.”