Novak Djokovic will be looking for back-to-back Masters 1000 titles when he goes up against Andy Murray in a second straight final on Sunday in Rome. Djokovic needed a third-set tiebreaker to get past Kei Nishikori in the semis.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will be squaring off for the 33rd time in their careers and for the second time in as many weeks when they battle for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title on Sunday.
Djokovic is leading the head-to-head series 23-9, including an even more dominant 12-1 in their last 13 encounters. The top-ranked Serb won eight in a row at Murray’s expense, lost to the Scot in last summer’s Montreal final, and has now picked up four more victories in succession. The familiar foes most recently faced each other in the Madrid title match last Sunday, when Djokovic triumphed 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
If nothing else, Murray does own the advantage of having enjoyed an earlier and much simpler semifinal contest. Going up against Lucas Pouille in the afternoon, the second seed crushed the lucky loser 6-2, 6-1 in 59 minutes. He preceded that victory by taking out Mikhail Kukushkin, Jeremy Chardy, and David Goffin all in straight sets. Murray is a decent 21-5 for the season, but he is still in search of his first title.
Djokovic has wobbled from just about start to finish this week, but he has somehow found a way to maintain momentum after lifting the Madrid Trophy. Rome’s No. 1 seed held off qualifier Stephane Robert 7-5, 7-5, got bageled by Thomaz Bellucci before prevailing 0-6, 6-2, 6-3, battled past Rafael Nadal 7-5, 7-6(4), and recovered from another set deficit to outlast Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) on Saturday. Djokovic is 37-2 for his 2016 campaign with five titles (three of the Masters 1000 variety in addition to the Australian Open).
The four-time Rome champion needed needed three hours and one minute to survive against Nishikori, but bouncing back from grueling efforts has never been a problem for him–at least not since his reign at the top of the game began. Conditions in Rome should suit Djokovic better in a match with Murray than those in Madrid, as the underdog will struggle to hit through him on a slower court. In all likelihood, the impenetrable fortress that is Djokovic’s defense will once again be too tough for Murray.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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