Resurgent Rafa Nadal takes Madrid Open title

“It was a positive week, a positive experience”, he said. I take, as I say, more positives than negatives into the next week in Rome. I was much, much better and much closer than in Barcelona.

The Serbian player was in control during his service games and broke Lopez once in each set to secure the victory.

Djokovic said Nadal had deserved to win the match and said the Spaniard was the favourite to win the French Open, the second grand slam of the season, which begins later this month. I have to move on. I think what is logical is to go to Rome, try to give 100 per cent. Right now, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he’ll win Rome and at Roland Garros. It would be interesting to see what they have in store for us in the 30s, with hopefully many years to come from all of them.

“Physically I’m feeling fit”. He was overtaken by Andy Murray at the World Tour Finals, and since winning Doha at the start of this year, had suffered early losses and an elbow injury, and his disrupted season was compounded ahead of Madrid with the announcement of a parting of the ways with his long-term coaching team.

The 59th-ranked Coric became the first lucky loser to reach the quarterfinals in Madrid. Cuevas won one of the points of the tournament with a no-look victor with his back to the court after a lob shot by Zverev early in the second set.

After watching Real Madrid playing in La Liga, Nadal trotted along to press where, as always, e had to bat away the speculation of the Ultimate Decimal.

Nadal will look to seal his fifth title in Madrid in Sunday’s final against Dominic Thiem or Pablo Cuevas.

The Madrid Open started the rivalry, with the Caja Magica witnessing an engrossing semi-final in 2009 lasting over four hours which Nadal won after saving three match points.

“I felt comfortable hitting the ball the last few days, physically ready, mentally sharp as well”.

Despite the straight-sets defeat, Djokovic said: “It was a positive week, a positive experience”.

“Well, Rafa was obviously a better player today”.

Thiem felt it was an improvement from Barcelona, but it was still cold comfort as his chances had dwindled in the second set. “Of course, things are working out, and I’m very happy for that”.

Djokovic hasn’t made the semi-final of any of the top-tier tournaments this season either, after winning Qatar Open before the Australian Open. He lost to Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals in Acapulco and in the Round of 16 in Indian Wells.

What was you were trying to do differently than Barcelona? ‘I was trying to get my first-serve percentage a little bit higher, then also change a little bit my return.