Novak Djokovic Beats Rafael Nadal To Win Italian Open In Rome

Novak Djokovic won his third Italian Open title and laid down a marker for the French Open with victory over Rafael Nadal in the Rome final.

Djokovic, 26, beat the defending champion and world number one 4-6 6-3 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes.
The Serb has now won three matches in a row against Nadal, and has been victorious at five of the last six ATP Masters 1000 events.

Match stats

Djokovic		Nadal
Match time: 2hrs 19mins
7	Aces	0
0	Double faults	2
62%	1st serves	75%
71%	1st serve wins	54%
55%	2nd serve wins	43%
45%	1st return wins	28%
56%	2nd return wins	44%
46	Winners	15
30	Unforced errors	27
6/14	Break points	4/6
92	Total points	73

This year's French Open, where Nadal is eight-time champion, begins on Sunday.

Despite his daunting record in Paris, and last year's dramatic semi-final win over Djokovic, the Spaniard might not return to Roland Garros as favourite.
It is the first time since 2004 that Nadal, who was beaten in the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, has lost more than two matches on clay in a season.
"I was able to find positive things during the tournament but I played three very tough matches this week and it was very hard mentally, as well as physically," said Nadal
"I was a little bit tired."
Djokovic made an edgy start to the final and slipped two breaks down at 4-1 but, once he found his range, it was the Serb who began to dictate.
Nadal, 27, recovered from 0-40 on his way to closing out the first set but the momentum was with Djokovic and, although he dropped serve when distracted by a crying baby in the crowd, he broke twice to level the match.

Djokovic drew a heart on the court moments after converting match point

A scintillating passage of play saw Djokovic reel off five games in a row, his return of serve causing Nadal all sorts of problems as he broke early in the decider.
Nadal battled hard to stay in touch, punching his fist and roaring to the crowd after holding serve at one point, and his fighting spirit paid off when he got back on level terms at 3-3.
It only sparked another barrage of brilliant returning from Djokovic, however, and the six-time Grand Slam champion broke once more in the following game, matching Nadal with a huge fist pump of his own.
There was no stopping Djokovic now and he dismantled the Nadal serve for the sixth time to seal victory - only his fourth against Nadal in 17 matches on clay.
Source:bbc.co.uk