( CNN ) -- Novak Djokovic extended his winning run to 37 matches this year as he beat world No . 1 Rafael Nadal for the fourth successive time in the Rome Masters final on Sunday . Second seed Djokovic triumphed 6-4 6-4 in two hours 12 minutes , despite having seemed to be on his last legs when he overcame Andy Murray in a three-hour epic the previous evening . `` I 'm amazed with way I 'm playing , especially today given the circumstances and the conditon I was in , '' Djokovic said after the match . `` I was able to perform maybe my best play on clay and I beat the number one in the world on clay . It 's amazing , I 'm going to enjoy this victory , but then I need to get ready for Roland Garros . '' Blog : Djokovic 's dream year shows no sign of slowing . He was given more time to rest when the men 's and women 's finals were delayed due to rain in the Eternal City , and Djokovic appeared the fresher of the two players as he stormed to his seventh title this year after another gripping battle . Nadal had ensured he will be top seed for his French Open defense starting in little over a week by reaching the semis in the Italian capital , but it appears to be just a matter of time before Djokovic takes his mantle as the top player in men 's tennis . The Serbian is doing to Nadal what the Spaniard did to Roger Federer a few years ago -- despite their age difference of a mere 11 and a half months , it looks to be a case of out with the old king and in with the new . Djkovic turns 24 next Sunday on the eve of his bid to win a first French Open . He ended Nadal 's two-year winning run on clay in Madrid last weekend , and this time he thwarted the Mallorcan 's bid for a sixth Rome title in seven years . His aim will now be to stop Nadal collecting a sixth French Open crown , and add to his own tally of two grand slams -- both coming in Australia , this year and in 2008 . Djokovic also won the Rome title three years ago , but he was unable to maintain his momentum . In 2011 , however , he is within striking distance of John McEnroe 's record best start of 42 successive wins set in 1984 . As in the match against Murray , the final at Foro Italico was a see-saw affair with both players breaking each other 's serve unexpectedly often -- but Djokovic had the power and precision when it counted most . Serbian 's No . 1 dream is fast becoming a reality . He took a 5-3 lead in the opening set after an uncharacteristic miscue by Nadal , then dropped his serve and promptly returned the favor to take a 1-0 lead . He went 2-0 up in the second set but Nadal , winner of a record 19 Masters Series titles , showed he is far from a spent force by battling back to level and keep it that way until the 10th game . Djokovic went 40-0 up but Nadal saved three match-points -- but the five-time Rome champion could not escape the fourth one and fell to just his second defeat in the tournament . `` He 's doing amazing things , he 's very tough mentally and physically , '' Nadal said . `` Every week he 's winning matches , he 's playing fantastically , he 's doing a lot of things very well and he has a lot of confidence . ''
World No . 2 Novak Djokovic five wins away from matching John McEnroe 's record . Serbian beats top-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4 in final of Rome Masters . Djokovic has defeated the Spaniard in four successive title matches . Nadal is top seed and defending champion for the French Open starting in a week 's time .