Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak against Rafael Nadal to seven matches and 15 sets with a 7-5, 7-6(4) victory in the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Friday evening. Djokovic battled back from a break down in each set to advance after two hours and 24 minutes.
Nadal broke for 3-2 in the opener and pushed his opponent to five deuces at 4-2 with a chance for a double-break advantage. But Djokovic managed to hold for 3-4, broke back to even the score, and maintained momentum throughout the remainder of the set. The world No. 1 converted an amazing set point in the 12th game, punctuating it with a forehand volley winner.
End of the first set:
In the second, Nadal had five set points on his own serve at 5-4. The Spaniard could not capitalize on any of those opportunities and eventually succumbed in a tiebreaker.
“I held my nerve at the clutch moments,”Djokovic explained. “Even though I had nervy beginnings to both sets, with some good games and good play in the crucial moments, I managed to win. It’s a straight-[set] win, but it feels like we played five sets…. I was fortunate in important moments. I managed to take him out of his comfort zone in important moments and didn’t give him always the same look. I thought he played high quality tennis. He tried to step in. He was trying to play aggressive.
“Winning against Nadal is the ultimate challenge on clay courts and one of the toughest challenges we have in sport. I have to be very pleased with the way I handled myself in the big moments today. I won against one of my biggest rivals on his preferred surface. We must not forget he’s in form. He won Monte-Carlo and Barcelona and has played well the past couple of weeks. That gives me confidence for the rest of this tournament.”
Djokovic is through to a semifinal showdown against Kei Nishikori, who ousted Dominic Thiem in straight sets. Nadal now heads to Roland Garros, where he is a nine-time champion but failed to win the title in 2015 for just the second time since his reign began in 2005. The world No. 5 triumphed earlier on this clay-court swing in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona before falling to Andy Murray in Madrid and then to Djokovic on Friday.
“I am so happy to be in a close match, and I have to congratulate him,” Nadal said. “He played great. We played a beautiful match. I was a bit unlucky today. I had so many chances…. But when somebody is winning as much as him for the past years, it’s so important to [be opportunistic]. He hit great shots in important moments. That’s it.
“I’m not disappointed. I was competing at the highest level against the best player. Playing a match like this gives me confidence.”
Quarterfinal highlights:
[polldaddy poll=9417061]
should’ve gone 3
Herbert should have won.
LOL!
Wow I thought just me and on a long shot Ricky would get that joke.
#Impressed!