Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic: Sony Ericsson Open 2011 final – Preview
All eyes are set on the clash of the two top-ranked tennis titans, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who will face each other in the final of Sony Ericsson Open 2011 in Miami, Florida.
The Sunday night encounter is expected to be one of the most epic battles in the game of tennis as the two competitors are in prime form of late.
The world number one Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour event after he dispensed his archrival, the third ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland in the semi-final 6-3, 6-2.
Djokovic outplayed the American number one, Mardy Fish in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, to meet the Spaniard in his second straight ATP final of the ongoing season.
Although Nadal has an amazing head-to-head record of 16-8 against the Serb, it is to be kept in mind that Djokovic is still unbeaten in 2011. He has won 19 straight matches in the year so far and has extended his ATP title count to 21.
The Serb’s last encounter against Nadal was at the final of Indian Wells a fortnight ago, where he outshined the top seed to bag the title. He will face Nadal for the second consecutive time in a major final and is hopeful of replicating the same feat.
23-year-old Djokovic had an astounding start to the ATP season when he won his second grand slam at the Australian Open 2011 and then bagged two more titles at the Dubai International Tennis Championships and BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
On the other hand, the top seed Spaniard has been straining hard to gain his true form in the season. He lost to David Ferrer in the in the quarter-final of the Australian Open 2011 and has failed to bag any ATP title in the season so far. Nadal reached
his first ATP final of the year at Indian Wells, but was beaten by Djokovic for the first time in a major final in 6 attempts.
Djokovic is yet to drop a set at the Sony Ericsson Open and has won all of his previous round matches in straight sets. This shows how the second seed Serb exerts pressure upon his opponents. Nadal dropped just one set in the four matches he played in Miami,
which was against Tomas Berdych in the quarter-final.
The Spaniard has dominated every match of his at the Sony Ericsson Open and his most recent victory over Roger Federer in the semi-final will certainly give his confidence a major boost.
Although Djokovic is in superb form and has not been beaten in the season so far, the pressure of competing against the world number one player is always huge.
With a recent title victory against the same competitor just two weeks ago, Djokovic can be rated as the hot favourite to win the contest.
Whatever the case is, the match promises to be a mouth-watering encounter between two of the finest players on the Tour.
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