KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Novak Djokovic has won his fourth consecutive tournament, beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in a grueling final at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Djokovic has won 26 consecutive matches since December. His record of 24-0 in 2011 is the best to begin a year since Ivan Lendl started 25-0 in 1986.
The No. 2-ranked Djokovic was pushed to the distance by Nadal on a sunny, 85-degree afternoon Sunday. They played for nearly 3 1/2 hours, and it was Djokovic who looked fresher at the finish.
He pulled a forehand winner cross-court on the final point for his second Key Biscayne title. He also won in 2007.
Djokovic beat Nadal in the final at Indian Wells two weeks ago and is 8-0 against top-10 opponents this year.