Novak Djokovic secured the No 1 ranking by reaching the Wimbledon final today, and he will now get a chance to beat the man he is replacing, defending champion Rafael Nadal. Djokovic reached the championship match at the All England Club for the first time by defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (9), 6-3 in a match filled with diving shots by both players on Centre Court. A few hours later, 10-time major winner Nadal knocked out Andy Murray 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to keep the British fans waiting for a homegrown champion at the grass-court Grand Slam. Djokovic, who improved his record to 47-1 this year and is a two-time Australian Open champion, will replace Nadal as the top-ranked player in the world on Monday, but reaching the final at the All England Club was the relief he was looking for after losing twice at the same stage.
After Tsonga's return on match point sailed out, Djokovic dropped to the ground and lay on his back. A few seconds later, he knelt down and kissed the grass. "It's hard to express your emotions in a very short time but hopefully some more celebrations are about to come," said Djokovic, who also beat Tsonga in the 2008 Australian Open final. Djokovic started the season by winning 41 straight matches, but he lost to Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals. Since then, he is 6-0, with all those victories coming at the All England Club. "I've been working all my life for this," Djokovic said. "I've been dreaming about playing the finals of Wimbledon since I started playing tennis when I was 4. To be able to be there on Sunday will probably be the best feeling."
Nadal leads the pair’s head-to-head series 16-11, while winning both career matches on grass. Djokovic has won all four meetings against the Spaniard this year.
In a historian’s dream matchup at Wimbledon on Sunday, current No. 1 Rafael Nadal will take on soon-to-be world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Serb took it upon himself to control his destiny and defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and lock up the top spot in the rankings which he will take over on Monday. Reaching his childhood dream of becoming the top dog in the sport, Djokovic will be gunning for his second Grand Slam title of the season. Capturing seven titles in eight events this year, Djokovic will be utterly confident in the knowledge that he’s defeated the Spaniard in four straight finals in 2011.
Standing in his way of taking home the most prestigious title in tennis will be a man on a 20-match winning streak at SW 19. Not losing a match on the chewed up lawns in London since 2007, Nadal has reached the finals of the last five Wimbledons that he’s contested.
Ending the hopes of Andy Murray once again in the semifinal round, Nadal will have the added confidence that he’s defeated Djokovic in both of their career grass-court meetings.
So what will Sunday have in store for the fans of Nadal and Djokovic in the sold-out cathedral of the sport?
Nadal has looked the more confident of the two in this tournament, but Djokovic will have the undeniable mental advantage heading in. Clipping the Mallorcan twice on hard-courts and more impressively twice on clay this spring, Djokovic will have to use his athleticism and pin-point serve to add a grass victory against his chief rival.
With the grass allowing Djokovic less time to slide into his shots like he would on the dirt, the Serb will have to be on his toes from the first point to combat the spins of the Spaniard.
Nadal to my mind remains the best volleyer in the game, and he’ll have to use that tactic in excess if he’s to be victorious. Djokovic has not wavered in the least when spitting back the groundstrokes of Nadal all season, and one would have to think that the grass surface would be a perfect opportunity for Nadal to attack the net relentlessly.
Although Nadal will go down as the King of Clay, he must now surely be regarded as one of the best grass-court players in the modern era. The slower court conditions should allow Nadal to dictate more points with his slice serve and forehand, but Djokovic’s return game—the best in the world at the moment—will be difficult to deny.
From an athletic standpoint, it just doesn’t get any better than the two chaps in Sunday’s final. From flexibility to fitness, and technique to mental fortitude, Nadal and Djokovic have shown the Tour this year that they are by far the best two players around.
From a momentum standpoint, I don’t believe the loss of the first set will be detrimental to either player. Both champions are great front-runners, but by the same token have proven that their come-from-behind-skills are just as impressive.
The grass should provide Nadal with the advantage that he’s looking for to succeed. While Nadal’s forehand spin troubles nearly every right-handed player on Tour, Djokovic has been able to combat the high spin of the Spaniard by stepping in and slamming his two-hander either down-the-line or cross-court with success. However, with the grass providing more of a skidding lower bounce, Djokovic won’t have the luxury of stepping in or cutting off the angles like he did on clay and that will definitely benefit Nadal.
For Djokovic, he’ll be looking to use his slice serve to Nadal’s backhand on the deuce and ad sides when it counts the most. With doubts of physical frailty a concern in previous seasons, Djokovic should have no problem matching Nadal toe-to-toe in the biggest moments.
Many thought Djokovic would fall to Nadal on clay after dominating on hard-courts and that didn’t happen. Nadal is clearly a better grass-court player at this point in their careers, but Djokovic has proven that past results don’t have a defining impact on future glory.
There is the possibility that Djokovic will endure a hangover effect after securing the No. 1 ranking. By contrast, Nadal has always said that winning Majors remains his greatest priority, and that the top spot is not as important. In saying that though, you would have to think that a tremendous amount of pressure will lie on both player’s shoulders as the match draws closer.
Nadal will do his best to avoid an embarrassing fifth straight loss to the Serb, and Djokovic wants nothing more than to begin his reign as No. 1 with an exclamation victory.
Some have said that Nadal dodged a bullet by not facing Djokovic in the French Open final. He did look anxious during their last meeting in Rome, but I believe that the defending champ has regained his mojo.
This contest could go down as the best match of the year; one in which features the two most dominant forces on Tour. With both players not scheduled to play a Tour event until Montreal, I’ll stay with Nadal to win the title, for the simple reason that he knows the the nuances of grass-court tennis better than Djokovic.
Would it surprise me if Djokovic ended up adding his name to the golden trophy? No. But I would be shocked if Nadal didn’t make the fiery Serb work like he’s never worked before to get the job done.
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