Resumption of the Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry will get an earliest possible start in 2016, as they are set to square off at their first tournament of the year. The Doha title will be at stake when Djokovic and Nadal meet again on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be squaring off for the 47th time in their careers when they clash in the final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Saturday.
The head-to-head series is all tied at 23-23 following Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-3 victory in the semis of the World Tour Finals. Nadal was once borderline dominant in this rivalry, but Djokovic has turned the tide in a major way to draw level. The Serb has won four in a row and eight of their last nine encounters. Nadal has not defeated the world No. 1 on a hard court since the 2013 U.S. Open title match, a span of five such matches.
While both players were considerable favorites to reach this final when the draw was revealed, neither did so with complete ease. Djokovic delivered consecutive 6-2, 6-2 destructions of Dustin Brown and Fernando Verdasco before things got trickier. The top seed recovered from a break down in three straight sets, beating Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 7-5 and staging a first-set comeback against Tomas Berdych to prevail 6-3, 7-6(3).
Nadal survived a pair of three-setters, outlasting fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 and Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The fifth-ranked Spaniard also scored wins at the expense of Robin Haase (6-3, 6-2) and Illya Marchenko (6-3, 6-4).
“To be back in a final is always a great feeling, especially the first week of the season,” Nadal assured. “For sure (it) is important for me for my confidence, (to) confirm that the end of 2015 season had been something realistic and this beginning of 2016 I am still playing well, so [I’ve] already won four matches here and [am] in the final.”
“I guess it’s a pretty important match tomorrow; let’s see what happens,” Djokovic said following his semifinal victory over Berdych. “It’s been a long rivalry. It’s an exciting challenge for both of us.”
Although Nadal has not been a challenge for Djokovic of late, the 14-time major champion was a shadow of his real self throughout 2015. This one should be far more competitive than their four most recent showdowns, but Nadal is not quite ready to turn the rivalry back in his favor–at least not on this surface.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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Hello! Rafa hits a DTL backhand for a winner, while Novak slips on the court.
That’s the way to do it Rafa!
Oh no, then a DF.
Rafa seems to feel the pressure when serving against Novak. 15-30.
Rafa cannot afford to get broken early again.
15-40
Rafa saves on BP on a rare miss from Novak.
Come on Rafa! Hold your serve!
Good body serve gets it to deuce.
Come on Rafa! Hang on!
Novak forcing Rafa to hit right back at him so that he can redirect the ball at will.
Sigh. Rafa’s serve tends to break down when he’s tense and I wonder when then he can be less tensed?
Rafa running out of ideas. At the rate this match is going, Rafa may fare worse than Berdych against Novak. So hard to watch this!
What I don’t like is how Novak is clenching his fist as he’s running Rafa all over the place.
BP again.
Oh man! Rafa had the shot! He had it wide open. DTL forehand goes long and Rafa is broken.
Novak has 11 forehand winners and 2 backhand winners. Commentators saying that the I/O forehand is doing all the damage.
The crowd is trying to get Rafa going.
This is just so hard to watch.
Done and dusted.
Nole wouldn’t steamroll a 34 yr old Fed like this.
Nole is the only one who can stop Fed now.
Rafa is frustrated. He hit his fist against his head.
Worst. Beating. Ever.
My question is, what can Rafa specifically do differently against Novak? I am not getting any answers here.
don’t think there is anything
Of course there is but Rafa unwilling to change his pattern of play, preferring to stick to baseline play, preferring to rally till no end, preferring to hit CC all the time, etc and etc. Doom to fail!
… and hit short.
He enjoys the hard hitting with Novak as if wanting to overpower Novak with his physical power, not going to work.
with better depth and a 2010-2013 serve it could. We’ll never find out in the near future if ever.
if there was, he would not have waited 47 matches to do it
?
He won 23.
Get his 2013 level back. He’s simply no where near that.
That’s the main difference.
Commies say Rafa’s last return not good enough.
Really? Just now?
They just put up a stat that showed Novak winning 22 baseline points to Rafa winning just 9 points.
Toni looking very embarrassed. I pity the Nadal camp, having to endure watching Rafa being hammered like this.
They said that Rafa was looking over to Uncle Toni.
His camp is showing just how difficult this is for them to watch.
Rafa holds serve. 2-1.
It seems that all aspects of Rafa’s game break down against Novak these dsys. The serve, the ROS. It all just goes down the drain.
Somehow Rafa has to break this pattern of getting broken early, because it just makes it too easy for Novak.
What is frustrating is that Rafa had such a good start, pressuring Novak in his first service game with chances to break. Then it all went downhill.