Novak Djokovic added Paris Masters crown number seven and ATP 1000 title number 40 to his ever-growing trophy collection with a straight-sets win over Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday's final.
The world number one - who needed three sets to see off Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev and Tallon Griekspoor earlier in the tournament - took one hour and 38 minutes to defeat Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 and clinch a record-extending honour
Djokovic - who also prevailed in August's Cincinnati Masters - now has six ATP Tour titles to his name in the 2023 season and rectified his errors from 2022, where he fell to Rune in three sets during last year's Paris final.
"[It's] incredible. To be able to win it after quite challenging circumstances for me this week," Djokovic said on the court. "Basically, coming back from the brink of losing three matches in a row, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I was very close to losing those matches and somehow managed to find an extra gear when it was needed.
"Today, I think we both were quite tight at the beginning, and I could see that he was running out of gas a little bit. Myself as well, but I somehow managed to find an extra shot over the net. I think the match was closer than the scoreline indicates, but another amazing win for me. I'm very proud of this one, considering what I've been through this week."
History was already on Djokovic's side heading into his battle with Dimitrov, having won 11 of his previous 12 meetings against the Bulgarian, whose only victory over the world number one came at the 2013 Madrid Open.
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The 32-year-old had since lost nine in a row versus Djokovic, including clashes at this year's Australian Open and Italian Open, and unforced errors in the seventh game gifted Djokovic the first break for a 4-3 lead.
Owing to Djokovic's baseline dominance, the Serbian did not face a single break point en route to a first-set triumph, and another catalogue of mistakes from Dimitrov saw him lose serve in the fifth game of the second set.
The world number 17 narrowly managed to avoid a double break in the seventh game, but his efforts only delayed the inevitable, as Djokovic fired a deep forehand on match point which Dimitrov could only return long.
The two men warmly embraced at the net before Djokovic lifted his 97th ATP Tour trophy aloft, and an emotional Dimitrov was able to reflect positively on his Paris experience, adding: "I just wanted to say how grateful I am for this amazing week.
"It's been such a rollercoaster the past three months for me. Getting to the final of this tournament means so much more than you guys can imagine. But also, it would not have been possible without you throughout the week [and your] support."
Dimitrov has now experienced a Masters final defeat for the first time, having won his opening ATP 1000 showpiece in Cincinnati in 2017, and the Bulgarian has lost each of his last three top-level finals.
Ben Knapton
