Rafael Nadal defeats Novak Djokovic once more at the ATP World Tour Finals
Rafael Nadal, World Number 1, is on the right path for a definite place in the semi-finals of the Barclay’s ATP World, right after defeating his second round robin opponent Serbian, Novak Djokovic. Rafa dismantled Nole in straight sets 7-5, 6-2, giving the
crowd something to talk about with his superb victory.
The top player was challenged by his World Number 3 opponent in the opening set of the match, held at the O2 Arena in London, however, this did not overwhelm him and he eventually defeated third seed Djokovic with some powerful hitting.
His next and last round-robin match will be held on Friday against Tomas Berdych, who defeated World Number 8 Andy Roddick. If Nadal wins that match, he will secure a spot in the last four of the tournament. He may even qualify despite a defeat from Berdych,
depending on Andy Roddick and Djokovic’s performance against each other.
Had Djokovic won this match, he would have secured a place in the semi-final. However, he will now have to defeat the American Number 1, Andy Roddick in order to qualify for the semi-finals.
Djokovic’s loss at a match where he had performed well for most of the first set might have been caused by an irritation in his eye, caused by his contact lens. His progress was hampered from late in the opening set, and he was obviously frustrated by this.
Although reluctant to find excuses for himself, he says that he “just could not play”.
Nole says, “I'm just really annoyed by the fact that something like this can affect the match. It did because my right eye got irritated and from the five-all I could not see a ball, especially the return. It was just terrible.” The player also seemed upset
with the umpire and the rules, saying, “I needed some time to make it right, but I didn't have time. Everybody was hurrying me up, saying three minutes, 30 seconds, come to the court, play your match.”
Djokovic was not the only player irritated by the umpire. Nadal also expressed similar frustration at the umpire’s constant urging for him to be faster between his points. Nadal justified himself by pointing out that Djokovic, too, had taken a medical time-out
of seven minutes instead of the normal limit, three minutes. He says, “If I wait seven minutes for him, and for me that isn’t a problem, there isn’t going to be a problem if I am five seconds late between points. After I waited a lot, he can’t come in the
next game and say, you have to be faster.”
However, it was still a significant victory for Nadal, who has returned to the tour after five weeks off. Recovering from a case of tendinitis in the right shoulder, it took Nadal some time to hit his stride in the tournament. The player battled off Roddick’s
A-game in three sets, but there was no doubt about his level of performance in this round-robin match.
Djokovic clearly had an unlucky day, which he admits to by saying, “I really feel sick talking about it to be honest because it’s just incredible that this happened to me. It never happened to me in my life.” Nadal, always the sportsman, expressed sympathy
for his opponent saying, “I’m very sorry for him.” At the same time, he was obviously elated about his own success, saying, “For me, it was a very important victory... I am in a good position.”
Tags: