KEY POINTS

  • Djokovic defeated Tsitsipas at the Italian Open final
  • Djokovic won the game in straight sets
  • They'll next play at the Roland Garros

Stefanos Tsitsipas has heaped praise on Novak Djokovic, saying the Serbian tennis ace has "everything tuned in close to perfection."

Djokovic defeated Tsitsipas in straight sets to win the Italian Open, his first title of the season. The Greek star praised the World No. 1, whom he called a "great champion", for his performance not just in Rome, but over the past few years.

"He has everything tuned in close to perfection. When it comes to his diet or his everyday life, his tennis, he has everything scheduled out really well. He's like a Formula 1 car: every single small detail can disrupt his rhythm. He makes sure every single thing that he does is reaching as close to perfection as possible," Tsitsipas told ATP after his loss Sunday.

The win in the final saw Djokovic claim his sixth title in Rome, which was also a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 title, according to US Open Tennis' Twitter page.

"In terms of talking about tennis legends and breaking records, when it comes to all these things, I personally think he's one of the most professional and the best of them all," Tsitsipas added.

Tsitsipas and Djokovic will next compete at Roland Garros, which is scheduled to begin on May 22. Last year, the duo faced off against each other in a thrilling French Open final, where the Serbian bounced back from two sets down to claim his second Roland Garros title.

Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas rallied to win the last two sets and defeat Britain's Andy Murray on Monday in a dramatic first-round match atthe US Open
Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas rallied to win the last two sets and defeat Britain's Andy Murray on Monday in a dramatic first-round match atthe US Open GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / ELSA

Both Djokovic and Tsitsipas have lost to young Carlos Alcaraz this clay season. Tsitsipas said Alcaraz and Djokovic are the two favorites ahead of the major tournament in Paris.

"Right now Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic. They both play great, great tennis. I would put them as favorites. Right now I need to improve a few things in my game. I don't know if I'm going to get there, but I hope I do with my hard work by the time Roland Garros begins. I'd love myself to get around with these players and be there with them. But I will really need to put a bit more attention to detail in the next couple of weeks," added Tsitsipas.

Rafael Nadal is the most successful player at Roland Garros, having won the clay-court Grand Slam a record 13 times.

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