Djokovic beats Nishikori to claim Toronto crown

World No.1 Novak Djokovic is turning his attention to claiming a first Olympic gold medal in Rio after winning the Toronto Masters for a record fourth time.

The world No.1 clinched his 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title when he beat Kei Nishikori 6-3 7-5 in the Toronto final on Sunday.

It was a positive statement of form by Djokovic in his first tournament since suffering an upset third round loss to American Sam Querrey on the grass of Wimbledon four weeks ago.

The 12-time grand slam champion will now turn his focus to the Olympics, a tournament he has yet to conquer.

He earned a bronze medal in singles at Beijing in 2008 and fell just short of a medal at London in 2012.

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“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.”

The 29-year-old Serb seized the opening set against Nishikori in just over 30 minutes, and then dug deep during a spirited back and forth in the final stages of the hardcourt match.

Djokovic was bolstered by a strong service performance as he won 82 percent of his first serve points and recorded five aces.

“I worked on it (with my coach),” Djokovic, who struggled on serve earlier in the tournament.

“I had to change something, I was not getting many of the free points (as I did today).

“It allowed me to be more aggressive. It was my best (serving) performance of the week.”

Nishikori fought hard to stay in the final set but seemed to be bothered by his rackets as he made multiple trips to the side of the court to change.

The Japanese player recorded his fourth straight Memphis title in February for his 11th ATP Tour victory, but he cannot seem to solve the world’s top player and has now lost nine straight times to Djokovic.

“It was a shame to lose but this was my first time final here in Toronto,” Nishikori told the Canadian crowd. “So, it was a great week.”