Novak Djokovic equals Rafael Nadal's Masters 1000 record with Madrid Open win

The Serbian tennis star hardly broke a sweat as he eased past Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the men's singles event of the Madrid Open that lasted almost one and a half hour.

Image Credits: Twitter/@MutuaMadridOpen

World number one Novak Djokovic added yet another feather in his cap by equalling Rafael Nadal's record of 33 ATP Masters 1000 titles with a straight sets triumph over Greek tennis sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Madrid Open. 

The Serbian tennis star hardly broke a sweat as he eased past Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in the summit showdown of the men's singles event that lasted almost one and a half hour to lift the coveted trophy. 

Following the win, Djokovic said that the Madrid Open is one of the best tournaments in the ATP besides the Grand Slams. 

"These are the best tournaments, biggest tournaments we have in our sport, in the ATP, of course alongside the Grand Slams. This is as important and as good as it gets,"the Association for Tennis Professionals (ATP) quoted the top-seed as saying. 

With the win, Djokovic--who headed into the Caja Magica with just one quarter-final appearance in his account in three tournaments he played since lifting the trophy at the Australian Open this year--also sealed his 200th victory against a top 10 opponent. 

Ecstatic to regain the momentum with the win at the Madrid Open, Djokovic said that he played some of his best tennis in the recently-concluded tournament as he didn't drop a set en route to clinching the title. 

"I'm very pleased. I was saying after yesterday's semi-final win that it was a very, very important win for me for my confidence. I wasn't playing my best tennis after Australia so I was looking to regain the momentum this week. I started off well. I didn't drop a set the entire tournament, so I'm very pleased. I played some of my best tennis here," he said. 

Tsitsipas, on the other hand, admitted that Djokovic played unbelievably well during the match and that it was a well-deserved victory for the world number one.

"He deserved the victory, he played unbelievable. I couldn't do much. Physically I was not there. My legs were not coping with my mind. Completely I could feel the fatigue and this soreness, not just in my legs, but everywhere in my body. And yes, he played quite smart. He tried moving me around the court. He knew I had a tough match last night, so he took advantage of that knowing that he's going to have to make me run and suffer more and I just didn't have solutions,"the Greek said.

The victory will see the Serbian further strengthen his position at the top spot in the latest ATP rankings which will be released on Monday, while Tsitsipas will also climb up to a career-high seventh spot despite the defeat.