Djokovic beats Nishikori in Rogers Cup final

In his first tournament since an upset third-round loss to Sam Querrey on the grass of Wimbledon four weeks ago, Djokovic returned to his winning ways and became the first four-time winner of the Rogers Cup.

The 29-year-old Serb seized the opening set in just over 30 minutes, and then had to dig deep during a spirited back and forth in the final stages of the hard-court match.

The latest victory was a 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title for Djokovic, who also has 12 grand slam titles, including this year's French Open and Australian Open.

"My two best performances came in the semi-finals and the final," said Djokovic afterwards. "It came at the right moment for me.

"It's a process like any other that has happened many times in my career, where I would start a tournament still feeling a little bit uncomfortable on the court and searching for my rhythm, and then, as the tournament goes on, I find that proper comfort level with shots, with the way I feel, with my mental attitude."

"Today I think he stepped it up," said Nishikori. "He raised his level a lot from these past couple days. He played really deep, and he didn't give me any free points. He was especially serving really well, so I didn't have many chances for my return game. I was really feeling the pressure every game.

"I think I need more experience in these kind of matches, but this is a great week even though I lost to Novak. It was the second time this year in the final of a Masters 1000. I think I'm getting closer and closer. I hope I can get a title as soon as possible."