Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Rafael Nadal for the fourth time in a row and claim his third Italian Open title with an impressive 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory in Rome on Sunday.
World number two Djokovic was broken twice in the first set as Nadal moved towards an eighth Rome title but he came roaring back to dominate the defending champion after that.
Defeat for Nadal was his third on clay in a season for the first time in a decade and raised questions about his form ahead of the French Open which starts next Sunday.
Djokovic will arrive at Roland Garros on a high after collecting the 44th title of his career to draw level with former French Open champion Thomas Muster.
Rafael Nadal said he expects a tough battle with Novak Djokovic for his eighth Rome Masters title on Sunday after sweeping aside Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals.
Nadal came through a tough clash with British number one Andy Murray late on Friday but the world number one had little trouble dispatching Dimitrov in what was an error-strewn performance from the 12th seed.
Nadal has won at Rome a record seven times and, going on statistics, will be tipped for an eighth on Sunday, as defending women’s champion Serena Williams meets Italian Sara Errani in a bid to defend her title.
Overall, Djokovic has won 18 of his 40 previous meetings with Nadal, including the last three although they came on hard courts.
But of the duo’s 16 meetings on clay, Nadal has won 13 including their last meeting on the surface at the semi-finals of the French Open in 2013. Nadal, however, said he expects a “complicated” match.
“Djokovic always plays unbelievable. He’s a complicated player to play against,” said Nadal.
