Win perfect preparation for Roland Garros: Djokovic
TENNIS BAG Serbian says victory in Madrid came at an important time for him
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 No 1 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.
“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 an 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. He credited key 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 yesterday against Dominic Thiem in the semi-final in a very close match.” IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK, SAYS SERENA
ROME: Serena Williams made a winning return from injury beating Sweden’s Rebecca Petersen 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the Italian Open claycourt tournament on Monday. Williams, 37, has not played since a hard-fought three-set win over Petersen in the second round at the Miami Open in March before withdrawing with a knee injury.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner — now ranked 11th — also withdrew from Indian Wells in March complaining of illness.
“It’s been a while, I haven’t played a ton of matches this year, not by choice, just by force. I really, really, actually desperately wanted to be on the tour and to be playing, but it hasn’t been able to work out,” said Williams, who hit 10 aces. OSAKA CLINGS ON
TO TOP SPOT
PARIS: Naomi Osaka narrowly retained her No 1 ranking on Monday ahead of Simona Halep after the Romanian missed the chance to reclaim top spot following defeat in the Madrid Open final. The 21-year-old Osaka lost in the last eight in the Spanish capital, but the Japanese star will stay at the summit for at least another week as Halep was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Kiki Bertens. The Dutchwoman became the first woman to win Madrid without dropping a set and climbed to a career-high ranking of fourth. Angelique Kerber moved up one place to third, while last year’s Madrid champion Petra Kvitova slipped three spots to fifth. Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic continued her resurgence by jumping from 18th to 15th.