Novak Djokovic collected his fifth Dubai title Saturday turning away Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4.

Djokovic looked strong in the first but blew a second set break lead before coming back on the Greek.

“I was a break up in the second set. He [broke] right away,” said Djokovic. “I was comfortable from the back of the court playing with him. It seems like he did drop his intensity a little bit from the previous matches.

“I served out the match in a great fashion, won another trophy here. I’m just obviously very, very pleased.”

Djokovic was lucky to have been in the final after saving three match points in a Friday semifinal win over Gael Monfils.

Tsitsipas, who had won his last eight matches, finished runner-up for a second straight year.

“It’s disappointing trying so hard and not really getting the final result that you want,” said Tsitsipas. “For sure, I would love to see myself holding that trophy. Of course, he gave more than me and he deserves it.”

Djokovic is now 18-0 in 2020 and has won his last 21 matches, a streak he will take into Indian Wells in two weeks.

“I’m trying to embrace the moment and appreciate where I am,” said Djokovic. “I think this has been one of the best starts of all the seasons I had in my career. I feel great on the court. I’ve been playing great tennis on the hard courts. That is my most successful and preferred surface.

“I’m just grateful that I’m playing well, feeling well. I’ve won many matches now in a row. I’ll try to keep that run going. It’s just way too early to speak about how long that run might go, the calculations. I try not to think about predictions. I try to focus on what I need to do with myself and my team in order to thrive every day, in order to try to play as best as I can every single match. That’s the main focus.”

The Serb has won 79 career ATP titles and he strengthens his grip on the No. 1 ranking.

🏆❤️ pic.twitter.com/WkBjerBnNP

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) February 29, 2020