Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal When the draw was made days before the tournament, all eyes were on which half of the draw the No. 3 seed, Rafael Nadal, would land. He landed in the top, with No. 1 Novak Djokovic, setting up what has been called a de facto final. Whoever wins this match will go into the final as an overwhelming favorite (though perhaps not a crowd favorite if the opponent is France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga). Though his more storied rivalry is with Roger Federer, Nadal has actually played Djokovic more often: this will Nadal’s 35th meeting with Djokovic, compared to 30 against Federer. It is a more competitive rivalry, as well, with Djokovic having won 15 times against Nadal, compared to only 10 wins for Federer. Djokovic has won 8 of his last 11 meetings with Nadal, including 3 of their 6 on clay. In their most recent meeting in April, in the final of Monte Carlo, Djokovic nearly bageled Nadal in the first set before holding on for a 6-2, 7-6 (1) victory in wet conditions that dampened Nadal’s topspin. There’s no rain in the forecast Friday, so Nadal’s balls should fly high once again. Djokovic has been the more consistent of the two players over the course of the tournament, but Nadal has been peaking in the second week. Either way, very little should separate these two. With a victory, Djokovic would become the first player to have defeated Nadal at all four Grand Slam events. With a win, Nadal will be one match away from a record eighth Roland Garros title.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:42:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015