Novak Djokovic defeated Kei Nishikori in straight sets (6-3, 7-5) to win his fourth Rogers Cup title in Toronto.
Djokovic quickly seized the first set in just 30 minutes, before holding off Nishikori’s strong comeback in the second.
Djokovic won a pair of rallies to earn to break as the second set tied at 5-5 and the score at deuce. The Serb put extra loft on a forehead to create an unforced error from Nishikori on game point, before triumphantly pointing at his head to illustrate his savvy. He then served out to close the match.
The World Number One looked much stronger than when he was in Wimbledon, where he lost to Sam Queerey. In service performance, he won 82% of his first-serve points and hit five aces.
“I worked on it,” said Djokovic, who struggled on serve earlier in the tournament. “I had to change something; I was not getting many of the free points. It allowed me to be more aggressive. It was my best [serving] performance of the week.”
Djokovic was already the leader of the ATP money list as he entered the tournament with $8,476,566. He collected another $782,525 and 1000 ATP tour points for Sunday’s win.
The Serb now turns his sights to the Rio as he attempts to win his first Olympic men’s singles gold medal.
“I don’t need to explain that every athlete dreams of being a part of the Olympic Games,” he said. “I’m competing in singles and doubles. Hopefully I’ll get at least one medal.”