NADAL, DJOKOVIC FACE OFF IN FINAL SHOWDOWN: A blockbuster title match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Monday features the top two players in the Emirates ATP Rankings as No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic meet for an Open Era record 39th time. This is only the fifth all-Top 2 final in the 44-year history of the year-end tournament. It’s the second year in a row and third time in four years the top two players are meeting in the championship. Here is a look at the No. 1 vs. 2 finals: - 2013: No. 1 Nadal vs. No. 2 Djokovic - 2012: No. 1 Djokovic d. No. 2 Federer - 2010: No. 2 Federer d. No. 1 Nadal - 1986: No. 1 Lendl d. No. 2 Becker - 1983: No. 2 McEnroe d. No. 1 Lendl Watch Live Online Nadal leads the rivalry 22-16 and this will be their sixth meeting of the season (Nadal leads 3-2) and fourth in the season finale (Nadal leads 2-1 and their previous three meetings came in round robin play in 2007, ’09, ‘10). This will be their 19th meeting in a final (tied 9-9), which ties Nadal-Federer and trails Lendl-McEnroe (20). Both players come into the final with 4-0 records in this year’s tournament and this is the first time since 2010 both finalists are undefeated coming into the championship match. In 2010, Federer defeated Nadal. It’s also only the third time since 1993 this has occurred. In ’93, Michael Stich defeated Pete Sampras. Nadal is appearing in his second year-end championship. Three years ago he went undefeated in round robin play before losing to Federer. The 27-year-old Spaniard is also making his 14th final showing in 17 tournaments this season (10-3 in finals). He enters with a 75-6 match record. He is attempting to become the first Spaniard to win the season finale since Alex Corretja in 1998 (d. Moya) and third overall. Manuel Orantes won the title in 1976 in Houston. He is trying to become the 14th of 25 players to rank No. 1 in their career to win the year-end title (see breakdown on pg. 8). The last left-hander to win the year-end title was John McEnroe in 1984. Djokovic enters with a 21-match winning streak since his last loss to Nadal in the US Open final on Sept. 9. He also has won nine matches in a row at The O2 since his last loss to countryman Janko Tipsarevic in the final round robin match two years ago. The 26-year-old Serb won the title here last year without losing a match and he also picked up the title in 2008 in Shanghai (d. Davydenko). The World No. 2 is appearing in his ninth final of the season (6-2 record). Djokovic is trying to become the seventh player to win the year-end championship at least three times and join: Federer (six titles), Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras (five each), Ilie Nastase (four), and Boris Becker and McEnroe (three each). WHAT’S AT STAKE – $910,000 for winning title and 500 Emirates ATP Ranking points Winner: $1,923,000 (for week) and 1,500 Emirates ATP Ranking points Runner-up: $1,013,000 (for week) and 1,000 Emirates ATP Ranking points FINALS HISTORY – Nadal Appearing in his 85th ATP World Tour level final. He is 60-24 in finals (10-3 in 2013) Appearing in his 2nd year-end championship final. He is 0-1 in finals Appearing in his 31st career hard court final.He is 15-15 in finals (1-3 indoors on hard #) # Won lone indoor hard court title in ’05 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (won Sao Paulo indoor-clay title In February 2013) Djokovic Appearing in his 62nd ATP World Tour level final. He is 40-21 in finals (6-2 in 2013) Appearing in his 3rd year-end championship final. He is 2-0 in finals Appearing in his 44rd career hard court final. He is 31-12 record (7-2 indoors) PLAYER COMPARISONS – Here is a look at both finalists: NADAL DJOKOVIC 2013 W-L (HARD) 75-6 (36-3) 71-9 (50-5) BARCLAYS W-L (BEST RESULT-YEAR) 13-10 (RUNNER-UP-2010) 18-9 (WINNER-2008, 12) CAREER FINALS W-L (2013 W-L) 60-24 (10-3) 40-21 (6-2) CAREER TOP 10 W-L (2013 W-L) 123-55 (24-4) 106-70 (22-6) ATTENDANCE UPDATE – This year’s attendance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals attracted 261,247 fans, just short of last year’s record (263,229), bringing the five-year tournament attendance at The O2 to 1,284,685. NO. 1 VS NO. 2 FINALS (4) – This is the fourth final of the year that is being contested by the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings: - Wimbledon - Andy Murray (2) d. Novak Djokovic (1) - US Open - Rafael Nadal (2) d. Novak Djokovic (1) - Beijing - Novak Djokovic (1) d. Rafael Nadal (2) - London – Rafael Nadal (1) vs. Novak Djokovic (2) CHAMPIONSHIP FEDEX ATP Head 2 Head (1) Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Nadal Leads 22-16 | The Complete Rivalry NADAL DJOKOVIC SETS WON 57 46 TIEBREAK SETS WON 8 4 MATCH WINS BY SURFACE CLAY 13 3 HARD 7 12 GRASS 2 1 RIVALRY OF THE AGES – This is the 39th meeting in their rivalry, which is the most in the Open Era: NO. DJOKOVIC RAFAEL NADAL VS. NOVAK DJOKOVIC 39 NADAL LEADS 22-16 IVAN LENDL VS. JOHN MCENROE 36 LENDL LEADS 21-15 BORIS BECKER VS. STEFAN EDBERG 35 BECKER LEADS 25-10 IVAN LENDL VS. JIMMY CONNORS 35 LENDL LEADS 22-13 PETE SAMPRAS VS. ANDRE AGASSI 34 SAMPRAS LEADS 20-14 JOHN MCENROE VS. JIMMY CONNORS 34 MCENROE LEADS 20-14 MOST FINAL MATCH-UPS (Open Era) – This is the 19th final between Djokovic and Nadal, which is second- Ivan Lendl vs John McEnroe 20 * Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal 19 Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal 19 Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras Boris Becker vs Stefan Edberg 16 Jimmy Connors vs John McEnroe 15 Boris Becker vs Ivan Lendl 13 *One final not completed due to weather A glance at the semi-finalists this week (four matches): DJOKOVIC WAWRINKA ACES 11 (NO. 7) 27 (NO. 3) 1ST SERVE PERCENTAGE 62% (NO.3) 63% (NO. 2) 1ST SERVE POINTS WON 74% (NO.2) 73% (NO. 3) 2ND SERVE POINTS WON 54% (NO. 4) 60% (NO. 1) SERVICE GAMES WON 36 OF 43, 84% (NO. 4) 48 OF 54, 89% (NO. 2) BREAK POINTS SAVED 10 OF 17, 59% (NO. 4) 10 OF 16, 63% (NO. 3) BREAK POINTS CONVERTED 14 OF 20, 70% (NO. 1) 13 OF 32, 41% (NO. 4) NADAL FASTFACTS Tournament History: • The World No. 1 advanced to the championship with a 75 63 victory over six-time winner Roger Federer. He converted four of four break points and was broken once (saved three of four break points) in the 1:20 match. He won 69% of second serve points compared to Federer’s 40%. • This is his second season finale title match of the season finale with a 4-0 record. In 2010, lost to Federer in three sets. He also improved his head-to-head record to 22-10 over Federer (4-0 this year) with his first career indoor win (1-4) against the Swiss. • Will attempt to become the third Spaniard to win the season-ending championship, the first since Alex Corretja in 1998. Manuel Orantes also won the title in 1976. He will try to become the first left-hander to win the season finale title since John McEnroe in 1984 • On Friday defeated Tomas Berdych 64 16 63 to close out Group A round robin play with a 3-0 record. It was his 16th consecutive win over Berdych. It’s the second time the Spaniard has swept through round robin play • The Mallorcan native defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 76(5) 76(6) in his second round robin match on Wednesday and with the victory secured year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the third time in his career. He also advanced to the semi-finals for the fourth time (2006-07) • Defeated countryman No. 3 David Ferrer 63 62 in Group A round robin play opener, converting six of seven break points and was broken twice. It was the fewest games he’s lost in 13 career match wins • He is playing in his sixth year-end finale but has qualified nine straight years. He has a 13-10 match record, which includes a runner-up finish in 2010 when he came in No. 1 (went 3-0 in RR, d. Murray in SF, l. to Federer in final) and SF in 2006 and ‘07 (went 2-1 in RR stage both times, then l. to Federer in SF both times) • In his last appearance two years ago, opened with win over Fish and then lost to Federer and Tsonga in RR play. In 2009, lost all three RR matches to Soderling, Davydenko and Djokovic • Qualified three other times but withdrew in 2005 (left foot injury), ‘08 (right knee tendinitis) and ‘12 (left knee) LEFT-HANDED CHAMPIONS – Nadal is trying to become the first left-hander to win the year-end title since John McEnroe in 1984. Overall, there have been four different left-handed champions: John McEnroe 1984-83, ‘78 Jimmy Connors 1977 Manuel Orantes 1976 Guillermo Villas 1974 2013 Highlights: W(10): Sao Paulo (d Nalbandian); Acapulco (d Ferrer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d Del Potro); Barcelona (d Almagro); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (d Wawrinka); ATP Masters 1000 Rome (d Federer); Roland Garros (d Ferrer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada (d Raonic); ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (d Isner); US Open (d Djokovic); F(3): Vina del Mar (l Zeballos); ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Djokovic); Beijing (l Djokovic); SF(2): ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l Del Potro); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris (l Ferrer) YEAR-BY-YEAR MATCH WINS – Nadal has won 70-more matches five times during his career. He won a career-high 82 matches in 2008. WEEKS AT NO. 1 LEADERS – Nadal is No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the 108th week in his career, which is seventh-most (since 1973). He regained No. 1 on Oct. 7. RISE TO NO. 1 – Nadal is the fifth player in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since 1973) to move from outside the Top 3 from the previous season to finish No. 1 the next season. YEAR-BY-YEAR TITLES – Nadal is attempting to equal his career-best of 11 titles in 2005. NO. 1 WINNERS – Of the 25 players to hold No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 13 have won the season finale title during their career. DJOKOVIC FASTFACTS Tournament History: • The defending champion extended his current winning streak to 21 matches in a row with a 63 63 win over Stanislas Wawrinka. He is appearing in his third final • On Saturday completed a perfect 3-0 record in Group B play with a 76(5) 46 63 victory over Richard Gasquet • On Thursday he defeated Juan Martin del Potro 63 36 63. He hit 10 aces and saved four of break points. Each break came in the sixth game of all three sets. The key stat of the match was the Serb winning 69% of second serve points and del Potro 48% • On Tuesday he defeated Federer 64 67(2) 62 in a repeat of last year’s title match. It was their second meeting in four days after the Serb won 46 63 62 in the semi-finals at ATP Masters 1000 Paris on Saturday • The Belgrade native is making his seventh straight appearance in the year-end finale (18-9 record), which includes titles runs in 2008 at Shanghai (d. Davydenko) and last year (d. Federer). His 18 career match wins ties Jimmy Connors and Stefan Edberg at No. 8 on all-time tournament wins list (McEnroe is next with 19) • Last year went 5-0, defeating Tsonga, Murray and Berdych in round robin play, del Potro in SF and Federer 76(6) 75 in final • In 2008 title run, defeated del Potro and Davydenko in first two matches, lost to Tsonga, and then beat Simon in three-set SF and Davydenko 61 75 in final • Also reached SF in 2010, going 2-1 in round robin play before falling to eventual champion Federer 61 64 • In 2007 debut, went 0-3 in round robin play, 2-1 in ’09 but did not qualify for SF and in 2011 went 1-2, defeating Berdych in third set tie-break, and falling to Ferrer and Tipsarevic in final two matches TITLE LEADERS – Djokovic is one of nine players to win the season finale multiple times and he is trying to become the seventh to win the title at least three times. 2013 Highlights: W(6): Australian Open (d Murray); Dubai (d Berdych); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (d Nadal); Beijing (d Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (d Del Potro); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris (d Ferrer); F(2): Wimbledon (l Murray); US Open (l Nadal); SF(3): ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Del Potro); Roland Garros (l Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada (l Nadal); QF(2): ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Berdych); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l Isner) PLAYERS TO DEFEND TITLE – Djokovic is attempting to become the eighth different player to successfully defend their title at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Roger Federer 2006-07, ’10-11 Lleyton Hewitt 2001-02 Pete Sampras 1996-97 Ivan Lendl 1981-82, ‘85-87 John McEnroe 1983-84 Bjorn Borg 1979-80 Ilie Nastase 1971-73 YEAR-BY-YEAR MATCH WINS – Djokovic has won 70 matches for the third straight year and fourth overall. TOP 10 WINS LEADERS – Nadal and Djokovic are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the ATP World Tour this season in Top 10 wins: 1) Rafael Nadal 24-4 2) Novak Djokovic 22-6 3) Stanislas Wawrinka 9-12 4) Juan Martin del Potro 6-6 Tomas Berdych 6-13 LONGEST WINNING STREAKS – Djokovic is on a 21-match winning streak. ATP MATCH FACTS 2nd SERVE PTS. – Djokovic and Nadal are 1-2 in second serve points won this year: No. 1 Novak Djokovic 59% No. 2 Rafael Nadal 57% No. 3 John Isner 56% No. 4 Roger Federer 56% No. 5 Philipp Kohlschreiber 56%
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 11:19:33 +0000
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