Really pleased with the way I closed out the match – Novak Djokovic after beating Grigor Dimitrov

Novak Djokovic was pleased with the way he closed the match against Grigor Dimitrov to make his way into the fourth round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia after his 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 victory on Sunday. In fact, the Serb was leading by 6-3, 4-2 but Dimitrov made a resounding comeback to win four matches on the bounce, to force the decider.

However, Djokovic lifted his level in the all-important third set to advance to the next round. In fact, the veteran admitted he wasn’t at his best in the second set and he could have won in straight sets as he had his chances.

Ergo, Djokovic took one more step in the right direction to defend his Italian Open title.

“[I was] very solid. I think I could have won in straight sets,” said Djokovic. “I was a set and 4-2 up and had a pretty decent forehand in the middle of the court at deuce on his serve and missed that. He held his serve well, we had new balls the next game, I did a double fault, the crowd got into it and got behind him and of course the energy of the place and the of the match changed.

“I dropped my level a bit, but luckily I managed find it right away in the first game [of the third set], made that crucial break and kind of shifted the momentum to my side, so I’m really pleased with the way I closed out the match.”

This was Djokovic’s 1050th tour-level victory. Djokovic is well known to bring his best game to the court whenever he is put under the pump and Sunday was another example of the same as he responded in his typical fashion.

“Luckily for me in my career, I managed to win more matches than those that I lost when I was facing difficult circumstances,” said Djokovic when asked about his ability to produce his best under pressure. “I also lost a lot of matches, particularly in the beginning of my career. For a few years, whenever I needed to make that final step or win a Slam, I didn’t manage to do that, so I learned a lot.

Djokovic revealed he got stronger because of his rivalries against the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray.

“I got stronger because of the rivalries, particularly with [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Andy] Murray. Just staying the course, staying patient and believing in the process and the journey… Understanding what works for you best, what’s your winning formula mentally and also physically and emotionally, and then sticking to it.”

Novak Djokovic will next face Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the round of 16.