Novak Djokovic claims seventh Paris Masters title with straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov in the final

Novak Djokovic claimed his seventh Paris Masters title with a 6-4 6-3 win over Grigor Dimitrov with a display of ruthless efficiency from the world No. 1.

Victory secured Djokovic his 97th ATP title, leaving him third in the all-time list behind Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors. The Serb leads the way in ATP 1000 titles, after winning a 40th crown at that level in the French capital.

Despite his defeat, Dimitrov will take plenty of plaudits from his gutsy display, as he went toe-to-toe with Djokovic in the opening exchanges.

The Bulgarian looked strong on serve, with the first break point not coming until the seventh game. Djokovic seized that opportunity in what was the only break point of the first set, drawing first blood after a second set point.

Dimitrov remained undeterred and was holding his own in set two as the first four service games were all held.

He was broken again in a fifth game that went to deuce twice, before a hold to love moved Djokovic 4-2 ahead.

Dimitrov staved off another break point to respond with a crucial hold at 4-3, but was then left serving to keep himself in the match at 5-3 down.

Djokovic brought up championship point with a backhand on Dimitrov’s serve, and he took it at the first opportunity after the Bulgarian hit a wide return.

“It’s incredible to win it, especially after coming back from the brink of losing three matches in a row on Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” Djokovic told Amazon Prime in his on-court interview.

“Somehow, I managed to find an extra gear when it was needed, and today, we were both quite tired at the beginning and you can see we were both running out of gas a bit.

“I think the match was closer than the scoreline indicates, but it’s another amazing win for me and I’m very proud of this one considering what I’ve been through this week.”

The Serb took a break from his post-match interview to offer a few consolatory words to the Bulgarian, and praised the 32-year-old for his impressive performance.

Djokovic said: “I’ve been in this situation many times before, losing finals, and I’ve been blessed to win more finals than I’ve lost.

“I really hope he will continue to play at a high level because he’s playing some of his best tennis this week, and I wish him all the best. I hope he can win some big events.”