Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to win his fourth Rome Masters title

Novak Djokovic poses with the Rome Masters title after a straight sets win over Roger Federer in the final

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic got the better of Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3 to capture his fourth title in the Italian capital.

The Serb dominated baseline rallies from the start and never gave Federer any room to execute his strategies from the back of the court. Both players served well in the first set, but it was Djokovic who converted his first break point in the tenth game when Federer netted his backhand.

Djokovic won 85% points on his first serve, while the Swiss could win only 68%.

The defending champion broke Federer’s serve in the opening game of the second set. The 17-time Grand Slam champion did not get a single break point opportunity as Djokovic won 30 points from the baseline to Federer’s 12.

With this win, Djokovic extended his winning run to 22 which includes titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome. He is going to the French Open with a lot of confidence and it remains to be seen if he can complete his Career Grand Slam on Parisian clay.

"The fact I've managed to win that many matches in a row ... gives me a reason to believe I can do it again," Djokovic said.

“I don’t think that I need to go a gear up; I don’t think that I have to do anything special in order to be successful in Roland Garros.

I have been very close to that title before, played several finals. I just need to continue preparing myself for that event as well as I’m preparing for any other, and try to keep the routine going. Hopefully that can bring me to where I want to be,” he added.