Barclays ATP Tour Finals 2010: Rafael Nadal versus Novak Djokovic – Match Preview
World number one Rafael Nadal will take on the third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the second singles clash at the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday. The Spaniard leads the pair’s head to head series at 15-7. Rafa also triumphed in their
only previous encounter in 2010 at the United States Open in New York. The final match score was 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. However, Djokovic leads their head to head encounters on hard surfaces at 7-4, including a two setter victory here in London in the final round
robin clash back in 2009.
The 24-year-old Nadal improved his lifetime mark to 5-7 by thrashing out Andy Roddick in his opening match in three sets. The final match score was 3-6, 7-6, (5) 6-4. He was down a break in the second set before rallying back. His best results here are two
semi final showings back in 2006 and 2007. The right hander is making his sixth straight appearance in the elite eight man field in London.
Currently ranked number one in the South African Airways ATP list, Nadal enters with a match record of 68-9 on the year. The Mallorca native leads the ATP World Tour with seven trophies in eight finals in 2010. He has captured at least five crowns for six
years in a row. Nadal along with Federer is the only player to win at least sixty clashes in the last four seasons.
He finished as ATP World Tour number one on the second occasion in three years as he wrapped up the top ranking after completing his career Grand Slam by winning the United States Open title back in September.
The professional tennis star from Spain started off his 2010 campaign by competing in Doha where he finished as runners up to Nikolay Davydenko, which was followed by his quarter final run at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Rafa made a comeback on the
tour back in March and advanced into back-to-back semi finals in Indian Wells and Miami, before losing to Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Roddick respectively.
The right hander picked up his first title of the season in Monte-Carlo and thus registered his name as the first contender in the Open Era to grab a title for six straight years. Two weeks later, the Spaniard lifted another crown in Rome, followed by his
record-breaking 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in Madrid. His other significant performances in 2010 include title victories in French Open, Wimbledon, United States Open and Tokyo, runners up appearance in Doha, semi final showings in Indian Wells,
Miami, Canada, Bangkok and quarter final finishes in Australian Open, Queen's Club and Cincinnati.
World number three Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, comes in with a match record of 57-16 on the year. The 23-year-old Serbian opened his account in London on Monday with a two setter victory over Tomas Berdych. The final match score was 6-3, 6-3. He blasted
five aces and broke serve on three occasions to cruise past his opponent.
The Serbian superstar has played quite consistently throughout the year. He recorded his best result of the season by grabbing a crown in Dubai, beating Mikhail Youzhny in the final. Djokovic also reached the title battles in United States Open, Basel, semi
finals in Rotterdam, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo, Wimbledon, Toronto, Shanghai and quarterfinals in Australian Open, Rome, Belgrade, French Open and Cincinnati in 2010.
Djokovic jumped to number two in the world after his runners up effort in New York. It was his second title battle at the Flushing Meadows as he previously made it into the final back in 2007. The Serbian is recently coming off his third round exit at the
ATP Masters 1000 Paris in Bercy where he was toppled by Michael Llodra.
Whichever contender wins today will lead 2-0 and be almost in the clear for the final four spot in London. Neither of these two players is enjoying top form at the moment. Djokovic did a particularly poor job in Bercy as he couldn’t defend his title.
However, the Serbian is still tough and therefore a close battle is expected without any question.
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