Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the trophy after winning the men's singles final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Rome Masters tennis tournament May 18, 2014.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the trophy after winning the men's singles final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Rome Masters tennis tournament May 18, 2014. REUTERS

Novak Djokovic of Serbia has continued his recent domination of rival Rafael Nadal of Spain after rallying from one set down in the final of the 2014 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, Italy on Sunday. Djokovic won in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Djokovic has racked up four straight matches against the 27-year-old Spaniard, who is ranked No. 1 overall in the ATP rankings. The 26-year-old Serbian is ranked a closed second and will gain some ground on Nadal after the three-set victory in Italy.

The clay-court tournament is a preparatory event for these tops seeds and most players for the Grand Slam on clay, the French Open which is scheduled from May 25 to June 8, 2014 in Paris, France.

Djokovic have also won at the final of the ATP World Tour Masters Miami in Florida earlier this year beating Nadal, 6-3, 6-3 in that tournament. The tail-end of the 2013 ATP season also set Djokovic as winners over Nadal; 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in Great Britain and 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the China Open in Beijing.

This means that Nadal has now lost 8 of his last 9 sets vs. Djokovic after the Spaniard's win at the 2013 US Open.

The Serbian bagged the Rome Masters titles in 2008 versus Stanislas Wawrinka and in 2011 against Nadal.