Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-3, 6-4)
Novak Djokovic’s mini-slump appears to be over. After crashing out early in each of his last three tournaments, the World No. 1 finally got back on track by winning the 2019 Madrid Open over 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Djokovic had a relatively easy road to the final. His quarter-final opponent, Marin Cilic, withdrew due to food poisoning. He then avoided Roger Federer in the semi-finals, as the Swiss was knocked out by Dominic Thiem.
Stefanos Tsitsipas then defied the Madrid Open 2019 betting odds as he shocked No. 2-seeded Rafael Nadal in the other semi-final. The Greek also took out World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals to make his second consecutive final on clay.
But in the end, Tsitsipas didn’t quite have enough against the Djoker, who did well to get past against a dangerous opponent amid his recent struggles.
Highlights of the game
Djokovic went relatively unchallenged en route to the final — his toughest test was against Dominic Thiem in the semi, and despite two tie-breakers, still won in straight sets — and he didn’t face much resistance against Tsitsipas, either.
Tsitsipas showed incredible resilience in his tremendous upset over Nadal, which was the massive Madrid Open 2019 news. He limited the Spaniard to 5-of-16 on break point opportunities and converted 6-of-14 of his own break points to defeat the clay court king. However, Tsitsipas was unable to reproduce that sort of resolve against Djokovic.
The Serb was quickly up 3-0 in the opening set as he broke the young Greek during his first service game. Tsitsipas saved one of Djokovic’s two break points with an inside-out forehand winner, but he missed his inside-in forehand approach shot as Djokovic got the crucial break and went on to win the first set with relative ease.
Djokovic earned another two break points early in the second set. However, he was unable to convert on either: he missed a forehand return long in the first and put a backhand long on the second. Tsitsipas held serve in his next service games, but Djokovic eventually broke the youngster again.
With the two locked at 4-4 in the second set, Djokovic delivered a backhand winner following a Tsitsipas overhead shot to gain two more points. A Tsitsipas error gave Djokovic that crucial break, and the World No. 1 eventually served out the match with relative ease.
After facing 10 break points against Thiem in the semi-finals, Djokovic didn’t face a single one against Tsitsipas. The World No. 1 did not drop a set en route to the title.
After the match, Tsitsipas admitted that his gruelling three-set win over Nadal took its toll on him physically, which cost him during the final.
“He deserved the victory, he played unbelievable. I couldn’t do much,” Tsitsipas said. “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.”
Djokovic acknowledged as much and also admitted he wasn’t playing his best. But he also gave his props to the young Greek, whom he called a new star in tennis. And based on Tsitsipas’ 2019 thus far, he certainly looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
Key statistics
It’s been a while since Djokovic has tasted success on clay. In fact, this was his first clay court title since winning the 2016 French Open.
Madrid is Djokovic’s 33rd career ATP Masters 1000 title, tying him with Rafael Nadal for the most all-time. Roger Federer, who most recently won in Miami, is third with 28. It’s also Djokovic’s 74th Tour title overall.
Djokovic certainly likes playing in Madrid. The Serb is a perfect 3-0 for his career in championship matches in the Spanish capital.
By beating World No. 7 Tsitsipas, Djokovic now has 200 wins against Top-10 opponents in his career (200-90).
What’s next?
After regaining that winning feeling on clay, Djokovic will continue his build-up to next month’s French Open in Italy with the Rome Masters. The likes of Nadal — who has now been beaten in three straight clay-court semi-finals, beginning with the Monte Carlo Masters — Thiem, and Alexander Zverev will also be part of a very competitive draw.
Djokovic has his sights set on reclaiming the French Open crown. If he does, he would hold all four Grand Slam titles for the second time in his career. That would certainly be a feat worth wagering on with SBOBET.
Tsitsipas will also take part in Rome as he looks to make a third straight clay-court final. He has a round-of-32 matchup coming up against Jannik Sinner, who upset American World No. 59 Steve Johnson in the round of 64.
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