Rafael Nadal welcomes pressure after beating Novak Djokovic, shifts focus to French Open

Rafael Nadal says that he can "handle the pressure" that he puts on himself to win every time he steps on the court after pulling off a stunning victory over Novak Djokovic at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Sunday.

The Spaniard won his 10^th title in Rome with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 win over his long-time rival Djokovic. It was a clash that swung both ways at different times during the match, but it was Nadal who came out on top after taking his game up a notch in the final set.

"It's amazing to have the trophy with me again, one more time here in Rome," Nadal said after his win in the final at the Foro Italico, as quoted on the ATP website. "I really wanted this 10th here in Rome... After achieving 10 at Roland Garros, 10 in Monte-Carlo, 10 in Barcelona, I really wanted this one. It's [a] super important tournament for me."

Nadal was down a match point in his round-of-16 game against Canadian Denis Shapovalov but came back to win the game in the third set tie-breaker. After that, he was pretty much on-form until the final, which he believes was very important to win going forward.

"I went through a lot of things during the week. Some positive, some great moments, some lucky moments, suffering moments. At the end I think I played a very solid week of tennis... It's the right moment to win an important title," he added.

"I don't put myself [sic] extra pressure at all. I want to win every day and every tournament that I am playing. Something that I know [is] not going to happen. But the passion and the motivation to try is always the same. I know how to handle the pressure."

The 34-year-old will now return home to rest for a couple of days before beginning his preparation to capture a record breaking 21^st Grand Slam title and 14^th title at Roland Garros next month.

Despite winning the tournament in Rome, the Spaniard feels there are a few areas that he can improve ahead of the year's second Grand Slam. He is keen to continue the improvement that he has seen in the last couple of weeks before he starts his campaign in Roland Garros.

"[I'll] take a couple of days off and then start working," Nadal said. "I think I can work on a couple of things that I can do a little bit better. I think I have been improving this week, but I need to keep going with [those] improvements, because when you improve, you're able to do it every day for longer time. Then it [gives you] more confidence and you feel more confident ... to do it in the next tournament.

"I just need to keep going. I know what I need to work [on over] the next couple of weeks, and I'm going to do it. Work, relax mentally, and work the right way."