Nadal Faces Novak Djokovic’s Dominance in Replay of U.S. Open Tennis Final
For Rafael Nadal to retain his U.S. Open title, he’ll have to do something he hasn’t done all year: beat Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic, the top seed at the tennis season’s final Grand Slam event, plays second-seeded Nadal this afternoon in the first U.S. Open finals meeting of a No. 1 and No. 2 seed in 15 years. Djokovic, from Serbia, was seeded third last year when Nadal, from Spain, beat him in four sets to claim his first U.S. Open title and complete the career Grand Slam. Their meeting today marks the first men’s final rematch at the tournament since 1988.
Had he won the Australian Open in January, Nadal would have held all four Grand Slams at the same time. Instead, Djokovic took the season’s first Grand Slam title and went on to become the sport’s dominant player, also winning Wimbledon, stringing together a 43-match victory streak and posting a 5-0 record against Nadal -- all in tournament finals -- while passing him in the ATP World Tour rankings.
“He’s obviously the favorite for the final, and I know I have to do something better than the other matches to try to change the situation,” Nadal said at a news conference after his semifinal win over fourth-seeded Andy Murray of Britain.
The 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over Murray took 3 hours, 24 minutes, about 90 minutes less than Djokovic needed to survive a five-set semifinal with Roger Federer, for the second straight year. Djokovic rallied from a two-set deficit and withstood two match points to eliminate the five-time champion from Switzerland, 6-7 (7-9), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
One-Two Meetings
No. 1 seeded Pete Sampras topped Michael Chang in the 1996 U.S. Open final, the last time the top two seeds met for the title. The last time the championship match featured the same players in back-to-back years was 1987-88, when Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander split their meetings. If Djokovic gains such a split, it will be his fourth Grand Slam title, having also won the Australian Open in 2008.
“I know that I have a game that is good enough to win against him,” Djokovic said at a news conference after the semifinal win. “I proved that this year in three different surfaces, so I believe that I have a good chance.”
The 24-year-old Djokovic has taken 11 of 14 sets against Nadal this year, with wins on hard courts, clay and grass.
“He’s playing with high confidence,” Nadal said. “I am not very happy about my mental performance against him this year because for moments I didn’t really believe 100 percent. That’s what I’m going to try to change for Monday.”
All-Time Champions
Nadal, who won this year’s French Open, is seeking his 11th career major championship, which would tie him for fourth on the men’s list with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver, behind Federer (16), Sampras (14) and Roy Emerson (12).
The men’s final was pushed back from yesterday -- the tournament’s fourth straight Monday finish -- because of delays and cancellations caused by rain earlier this week. Samantha Stosur won the women’s championship yesterday, beating Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3.
Although he trails the Spaniard 16-12 in their all-time series, Djokovic’s 5-0 record this year includes hard court Masters series victories in Miami and Indian Wells, California, where he came back from a set down against Nadal both times. They’ll also be playing on hard courts today in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the National Tennis Center.
With the win, Djokovic would become the sixth men’s player in the Open era of professional tennis that began in 1968 to win three majors in a season. Nadal did it last year, joining Federer, Wilander, Jimmy Connors and Rod Laver.
‘Best Year’
“It’s obvious that this is the best year of my career, by far,” said Djokovic, who last month became the first player to win five ATP World Tour Masters titles in one season. “The confidence level that is very high at this moment helps me get into these big matches and go for shots that maybe in some situations I wouldn’t go for in past years.”
Nadal is attempting to become the eighth repeat U.S. Open winner since 1968, joining Federer, Patrick Rafter, Sampras, Stefan Edberg, Lendl, Connors and John McEnroe.
Connors was the last player to beat the same opponent in consecutive U.S. Open men’s finals, against Lendl in 1982-83. That’s a feat Nadal said he knows won’t be easy against Djokovic.
“The only way to beat him is believe in the victory, play aggressive, and play every moment perfect,” Nadal said. “So that’s what I have to try.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson at the National Tennis Center in New York, at mlevinson@bloomberg.net; Erik Matuszewski at the National Tennis Center in New York, at matuszewski@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.
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