Nadal vs Djokovic: The Rivalry

Hi everyone
I just recently joined 606v2 and I must say it really seems like a great forum!
Anyway I thought I would dedicate my first article to the new rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic. As a Nadal fan I will admit that last year Djokovic was dominating however I believe that Nadal has been determined to make it much more competitive this year
Following a similar theme from Tennis.com's news series I have made a top 5 list of the best matches they have played. And no, I haven't just listed 5 Nadal victories

The 5th Best:
US Open Final 2010: Nadal bt Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
This was a historic match for Rafael Nadal as he sealed his career slam in New York against the Serb. The quality of the match was high with Nadal's fast serving and incredible defence helping him to a 4 set win. The first set was a close affair with some stunning rallies but Nadal broke at 2-2 and kept his serve for the rest of the set. The second set, interrupted by rain, was also a tight affair but some incredible returning of serve helped him break at 5-5 and get back on level terms. After that however Nadal stepped it up and won the last 2 sets 6-4 6-2 to seal his glory. For Djokovic nevertheless, this was a key match and inspired him to have a great 2011.

The 4th Best:
Miami Final 2011: Djokovic bt Nadal 4-6 6-3 7-6(4)
Many believe that this was a crucial match for Djokovic's success over Nadal in 2011. Nadal came into this match in top form having beaten Federer 6-2 6-2 in the semi-finals. However Djokovic was determined to keep up his win streak in what proved to be a thrilling match. Nadal, like he did in Indian Wells, took the first set with some solid play as Djokovic struggled in the wind. However it was then Djokovic's turn to accelerate as he blew Nadal away in the 2nd set with some great baseline tennis. There was not much to separate the 2 in the 3rd set but a badly timed double fault from Nadal in the deciding tiebreak gave Djokovic a decisive advantage, which he gleefully accepted to extend his winning streak.

The 3rd Best:
US Open Final 2011: Djokovic bt Nadal 6-2 6-4 6-7 6-1
In USO 2011, a year after Nadal beat him in 4 sets, Djokovic exacted revenge over Nadal in an incredible match with some jaw-dropping rallying from both men. In both the 1st and 2nd set Nadal broke first, but in both sets Djokovic found a way to come back and win the set. The 3rd set was slightly close with both players exchanging breaks to get to 5-5. Then Djokovic seized his moment and broke Nadal to go 6-5 up. That, it seemed, was that. But Nadal found some heart from nowhere and played incredible tennis to break back and take the set on the tiebreak. However Djokovic, after treatment from the doctor for a back injury, bounced back in the 4th set and conflicted Nadal to his 6th defeat in a row against him.

The 2nd Best:
Madrid Open Semi-final 2009: Nadal bt Djokovic 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (11-9)
As you can see from the scoreline this match was beyond extraordinary. Both players played incredible tennis but it was Nadal who prevailed at the end, on his beloved clay, in a deciding set tiebreaker. It was Djokovic who started the better with some great hitting early on securing the 1st set 6-3. However Nadal was determined not to give up and brought the 2nd set to a tiebreak. After pulling through on the tiebreak, Nadal brought it into a deciding set. And like the 2nd set these 2 were too close to call, a tiebreak was needed to decide the winner. In a sensational tiebreak Djokovic held many match points, but Nadal showed champion spirit to save them all and win the match. Even though Djokovic lost the match, Nadal, and many other tennis fans, accepted that Djokovic was a real threat on clay.

The Best:
Australian Open Final 2012: Djokovic bt Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5
Epic. Novak Djokovic sealed his third Australian Open Grand Slam title with a win over Nadal in the longest match in Grand Slam Final history. The match, which nearly spanned an incredible 6 hours, left spectators on the edge of their seats from start to finish as both men battled as if their life depended on it. Djokovic was lacklustre in the 1st set and Nadal took full advantage with some great hitting to take it 7-5. However the match fell in a familiar pattern in the 2nd and 3rd sets as Nadal was controlled by Djokovic and lost his momentum, and his advatage. With Nadal serving 3-4 0-40 down in the 4th set everyone thought the match was over. Toni Nadal put his head in his hands and Djokovic's camp knew their man was in touching distance. But Nadal still believed. Serving 2 aces and some stunning hitting saved all 3 break points and let out a 'VAMOS'. The momentum was then with Nadal as Djokovic faltered in the tiebreak and went a break down in the 5th. But it was not to be. Djokovic, out of nowhere, conjured up some magic play to break Nadal back and then seal the match 7-5 as the match approached the 6th hour. He fell to the ground in ecstasy with the knowledge he had sealed his 5th Grand Slam and extended his winning streak over Nadal to 7. He said in the interview after the match 'It was a shame there couldn't be 2 winners.' This time however, he was wrong.

The Most Historic:
French Open Final 2012: Nadal bt Djokovic 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5
The match for history. The pressure was well and truly on. Novak Djokovic was chasing the Nole Slam- trying to emulate the great Rod Laver and hold ALL 4 Grand Slams at once. Meanwhile Spanish Superstar Rafael Nadal was vying to eclipse the legendary Bjorn Borg and seal his 7th French Open Final. Nadal seemed to handle the pressure in the early stages and broke Djokovic twice with some magnificent forehands to power to a 3-0 lead. However Djokovic roared back to 3-3, only then to lose serve on a Double Fault and go a break down. Nadal eventually held serve for the rest of the set to seal it 6-4. There was a similar pattern in the 2nd set. After coming back from a rain delay Djokovic was serving at 3-5 to stay in the set. Nadal stepped it up to seal the set and go 2 set to love up. At this point virtually everyone thought the match was over. A certain Serb had other ideas though. In increasingly wet and damp conditions he started taking the ball earlier and dominating the play- taking 8 games in a row from 0-2 down 3rd set to win the set 6-2 and be 2-0 up in the fourth. Nadal won his service game to make it 1-2 after which the final was suspended due to unsuitable weather conditions. When they came back the next day it was Nadal to take the initiative- breaking back immediately. And then the moment came. Djokovic serving to stay in it, 5-6 down, 30-40 and match point down. Paris expected a usual sensational escape from Djokovic as we have so often seen before. But it was not to be. After seeing the second serve go long I took a few seconds to comprehend what had happened. Then I screamed. For 3 slams in a row this Serb had denied my man to win a Grand Slam Tournament, 3 times in a row Nadal has fallen agonisingly short getting closer and closer each time. But now finally had done it. As I screamed in ecstasy Nadal collapsed on the floor in tears. Tears of joy. When Bjorn Borg obtained his 6th French Open Title a few decades ago nobody thought it would ever be beaten. But they were proved wrong.
History had been made.

It Must Be Love

Hey IBL

I have to admit I am not a particular fan to this rivalry. Some enjoy it because Djokovic has had the measure of Nadal and others may enjoy it because it is not so one sided as the Nadal/Federer rivalry. I feel it lacks a little prestige purely because it has only really taken off in the last 2 years because of their Slam encounters.

I have to admit the AO2012 was the ugliest Final I could remember in recent time. It was a struggle for both players and it lacked real quality in shot making. I think for me it was one of the reasons I rated the Murray/Djokovic above it because Andy had Djokovic in knots.

I think it is a rivalry that will grow with time. I think because they are both so similar in styles makes it less appealing than a Federer/Nadal encounter.

Yes, hi LK
I agree that this rivalry is still not as incredible as Federer and Nadal, but let's be honest there aren't many rivalries which can challenge Fed-al
But yes the rivalry is growing, and I'm sure that in the future they will have many more great matches.

Yes I too would agree not because Im a Nadal fan and it was more one sided against Federer It was because they seemed to bring out the best in each other.. (Wimbledon 2008 epitomised all that was so incredible about the pair) A rivalry which will take much beating in my view what is more I think they genuinely enjoyed playing each other. I agree with LK that the AO was ugly tennis for me. I dont like watching the Nadalvic matches if Im honest no matter which way the result goes.

Sorry IMBL I should at least have said hello and welcome

Did you not enjoy MC 2012?

I think what is quite astonishing is that if they meet at RG, they would've played each other at every Grand Slam event. Finals too. In time maybe it's appreciation may increase, but everyone loves a Roger and Rafa encounter.

It Must Be Love wrote:Did you not enjoy MC 2012? :)

What I enjoyed about that match was to see Rafa bursting with confidence once again..I didnt enjoy his U.E´s (too many of them) and his serving left a lot to be desired.

However what I did enjoy was seeing him adapt his game ; but for the most part I enjoy seeing the King on his natural surface where he always looks comfortable. The matches with Nole have a tendency to turn into a slugfest which can be ugly. However I would be telling porkies if I said I didn¨t enjoyed the win :D

No no MC was the one he served brilliantly, Rome was the one his serve let him down

Haddie-nuff wrote:However I would be telling porkies if I said I didn¨t enjoyed the win

I get an extra feeling of satisfaction when Nadal beats Djokovic, especially after what happened last year.

Hi IMBL, nice article.
Well the "Djakal" rivalry is a bigger one than Fedal (sorry I cant be bothered writing all the names out!) in terms of numbers of matches played and this will only increase. Funnily enough Nadal and Fed dont actually play each other much in recent times. Federer has been struggling to reach the same number of finals which is where they are generally seeded to meet...or Federer gets to finals that Nadal doesnt given their preference for different surface types.

I agree with Haddie, the mix up of styles is what makes the Nada;-Fed matches so captivating...its like Borg/McEnroe and Sampras/Agassi all over again. The classic out and out attacker versus the counterpuncher. With Djokovic and Nadal its a conflict of styles, not a contrast. They kind of cancel each other and win by attrition. The matches still hold interest for tennis players..but maybe not for neutral fans per se. But the interest is more around the mental side and whether one can stop the other achieiving a certain goal rather than excitement around their 2 styles of play coming together.

My favourite match of theirs was the Madrid one...that really showed that Djokovic could take it to clay with Nadal...he had MPs after all...so no-one should have been surprised what has happened since.

However, it terms of an actual rivalry...well thats a bit of a misnomer. Nadal hasnt beaten Djokovic in a slam final for a while now, just as Federer hasnt with Nadal. So until you get the yo-yo of slam wins I'm not sure we have true rivalries...but that depends on your perspective as I know Nadal has now won the last 2 matches. If Nadal wins RG against Djokovic in the final then I think we truly do have a proper rivalry on our hands. Maybe its an open question....is it a rivalry or not? What defines a rivalry?

It Must Be Love wrote:No no MC was the one he served brilliantly, Rome was the one his serve let him down :)

Of course .. silly me.. there has been so much talk about the Rome match that I didn´t cast my mind back to MC. Trouble is there that win will always be "tainted" by Nole´s frame of mind.. though my personal belief is that Rafa would have won anyway... I better :run: before someone shouts me down lol

Well they have play 32 matches against each other.
Nadal currently leads the series 18-14 and has won their last 2 matches.
However before that Djokovic had a great run of 7 matches.

What defines a rivalry? Interesting question.

Haddie-nuff wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:No no MC was the one he served brilliantly, Rome was the one his serve let him down

Of course .. silly me.. there has been so much talk about the Rome match that I didn´t cast my mind back to MC. Trouble is there that win will always be "tainted" by Nole´s frame of mind.. though my personal belief is that Rafa would have won anyway... I better before someone shouts me down lol

Yes Nadal would have won MC anyway. He's really good in Monte Carlo.

Is it the two leading contenders facing off, or two evenly matched guys at any level...or both.

I actually think this pairing has more potential to be an ongoing rivalry than Nadal/Federer...they are closer in age, play similar games and are the two people getting to most of the serious finals.

I agree with you lydian the only thing that bothers me about that is they get into such gruelling lengthy physical matches, I just hope that Rafa´s knees hold out. He will need to keep adapting his game in order to shorten these lengthy rallies that they get embroiled in otherwise physically I cannot see Rafa absorbing that sort of physical punishment if they meet too often. He is almost 26 and still has some mileage but they both play such a strenuous game I wonder how long that rivalry will be possible

Very good post by IMBL and welcome to the site. As a Djokovic fan I do enjoy the Nadal rivalry a great deal. I feel like when Novak and Rafa play each other that we are watching the latest and most advanced evolution of baseline tennis. Both players are supremely fit, fast, and have rock solid and powerful groundstrokes off of both wings. They are master practicioners of the modern game. It is a rivalry when it is all said and done may even surpass the fedal rivalry because of how dominant these two seem to be, how consistent, and how relatively young they are to have attained their lofty positions. The fact that they are separated by just a year in age makes the possibilities of growth in this rivalry really trememdous.

But as a Djokovic fan for me the best rivalry is Novak v. Roger. Because in contrast to many rivalries that exist today there is a real hint of bad blood between the two. And their contrast in styles is also very fun to watch, the one hander v. the two hander, the great server v. returner. As a Novak fan the worst losses of Novak's career have been dealt by Roger so it makes it that much more fun when Novak beats him.

Thankyou Social

Yes we do have a bit of bad blood in the Fedovic rivalry don't we
I suppose it makes a change from the Djokal rivalry with Djokovic saying how 'Nadal represents the greatest challenge' and he 'is the best on clay of all time' while Nadal thanked Djokovic after the MC win this year for 'letting me win this time.'

Anyway what is your favourite Djokal match Social? Do you agree with my top 5?

IMO the best matches between Nadal and Djokovic are not on that list.

Hamburg 2008 semi. Nadal won 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. Despite the scorline the last set if I remember correctly was amazing with a couple of games having numerous deuces.

Queens 2008 final. Nadal won 7-6 (5), 7-5. Usually I'm not a big fan of this tournament as it's a bit exhibition like but not this match. Some breathtaking play by both. Anyone who had a ticket was very lucky indeed.

Unlike some of the matches in the article both players played at a high standard throughout. For me these are not just amongst my favourite of their rivalry but are amongst my favourite full stop.

tennis.com have been doing this as well and they seem to agree with ya buddy but the final one hasn't been mentioned but i think its already a given. Ahead of the times bud!

LuvSports

Yes I mentioned that in the article They haven't yet revealed the final 3 I think so I'm ahead. If they finish with mine I can claim they copied me

sewwww them!!!!

I need a lawyer on stand-bye immediately

ahh to quote byron hadley from shawshank redemption they are 'a bunch of ball washing bar stewards'

that will probs get deleted ah well

looool bar stewards

take two
'a bunch of ball washing baaaarrrrrsttuuurrddss'

Well IMBL, I liked your list I agree with the Australian open of this year being their best match, I would probably put Madrid 09 as their second best match. Miami was a great match as well, and queen's club was one of the best 2 set matches I think hawkeye mentioned that one. In away I am almost glad Nadal rebounded to make this rivalry more interesting. I never discounted his chances but when it was 7-0 it didn't feel that competitive. But now with the last two matches going the other way there will be even more intensity from both players the next time they meet.

LuvSports! wrote:ahh to quote byron hadley from shawshank redemption they are 'a bunch of ball washing bar stewards'

that will probs get deleted ah well

Nah.
My favourite is from Johnny Dangerously (before you were born!) "You fargin' corksoaker"

This just in "Roman Maroni deported to Sweden: But I am not even swedish says Maroni".

What a good first article. I personally rate the US Open as the best match, and none of them yet rival the best Federer-Nadal matches in my opinion.

The Australian Open was a good match but you don't win the title of epic of no 1 simply by being the longest. What people remember about the match was that it was the longest. Think people, how many specific shots or points from the match can you remember? How many great volleys or drop shots or lobs or clean backhand winenrs from the baseline etc? The only thing that stayed with me was lots of tough rallies and the players standing at the net for the presentation looking like they were going to keel over.

Thankyou Henman Bill

The Latest Chapter:

The Most Historic:
French Open Final 2012: Nadal bt Djokovic 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5
The match for history. The pressure was well and truly on. Novak Djokovic was chasing the Nole Slam- trying to emulate the great Rod Laver and hold ALL 4 Grand Slams at once. Meanwhile Spanish Superstar Rafael Nadal was vying to eclipse the legendary Bjorn Borg and seal his 7th French Open Final. Nadal seemed to handle the pressure in the early stages and broke Djokovic twice with some magnificent forehands to power to a 3-0 lead. However Djokovic roared back to 3-3, only then to lose serve on a Double Fault and go a break down. Nadal eventually held serve for the rest of the set to seal it 6-4. There was a similar pattern in the 2nd set. After coming back from a rain delay Djokovic was serving at 3-5 to stay in the set. Nadal stepped it up to seal the set and go 2 set to love up. At this point virtually everyone thought the match was over. A certain Serb had other ideas though. In increasingly wet and damp conditions he started taking the ball earlier and dominating the play- taking 8 games in a row from 0-2 down 3rd set to win the set 6-2 and be 2-0 up in the fourth. Nadal won his service game to make it 1-2 after which the final was suspended due to unsuitable weather conditions. When they came back the next day it was Nadal to take the initiative- breaking back immediately. And then the moment came. Djokovic serving to stay in it, 5-6 down, 30-40 and match point down. Paris expected a usual sensational escape from Djokovic as we have so often seen before. But it was not to be. After seeing the second serve go long I took a few seconds to comprehend what had happened. Then I screamed. For 3 slams in a row this Serb had denied my man to win a Grand Slam Tournament, 3 times in a row Nadal has fallen agonisingly short getting closer and closer each time. But now finally had done it. As I screamed in ecstasy Nadal collapsed on the floor in tears. Tears of joy. When Bjorn Borg won his 6th French Open Title a few decades ago nobody thought it would ever be beaten. But they were proved wrong.

History had been made.

It Must Be Love

Nice one IMBL. I'm sure many people, even if not fans, could feel what it meant to him by the sheer reaction of his win amongst the Nadal clan. I have never seen scenes like them before with him...not even his first French Open was like that.

In terms of the rivalry...well its gone 0-7 to 3-0 but we need to see whether Nadal can make it 4-0 on grass (if they both got to the final). If Nadal was to win that then the rivalry is definitely game on again...otherwise detractors will say its only a rivalry on clay. But I do have a sense that Nadal will beat him on grass this year if they meet as I do feel he's the better grasscourt player (5 finals, Queen's...). At USO/AO you have to feel Djokovic is the clear favourite.

But what is undoubtable is that both men are now dominating the tour between them having contested the past 4 finals and Nadal in the one before that too...its almost Djokovic/Nadal vs ATP Tour.

lydian wrote:Nice one IMBL. I'm sure many people, even if not fans, could feel what it meant to him by the sheer reaction of his win amongst the Nadal clan. I have never seen scenes like them before with him...not even his first French Open was like that.

In terms of the rivalry...well its gone 0-7 to 3-0 but we need to see whether Nadal can make it 4-0 on grass (if they both got to the final). If Nadal was to win that then the rivalry is definitely game on again...otherwise detractors will say its only a rivalry on clay. But I do have a sense that Nadal will beat him on grass this year if they meet as I do feel he's the better grasscourt player (5 finals, Queen's...). At USO/AO you have to feel Djokovic is the clear favourite.

But what is undoubtable is that both men are now dominating the tour between them having contested the past 4 finals and Nadal in the one before that too...its almost Djokovic/Nadal vs ATP Tour.

Isn't it 3-1 lydian? Djokovic won the Aussie Open so Djokovic has had a win over Nadal? I agree a grass court encounter between the two will be close, however the mental edge over Nadal which Djokovic has which surfaced in the French Open final concerns me and that's why I don't think it's as simple as it appears for Nadal to win. I agree, Nadal is a better grass court player but that mental edge is what seems to be the problem. That's the reason I have Djokovic has slight favourite. Djokovic will be happy that because he has got that one win already, he can't won't repeat what Nadal did last year of not a single win.

No Djoko won 7 in a row, then Nadal won 3.
As Nadal has win his last 3 against Djokovic I'm not sure either player will have a mental edge as such.

Remember last year it was Djokovic's success in IW and Miami which springboarded his success over Nadal on clay.

It Must Be Love wrote:No Djoko won 7 in a row, then Nadal won 3.
As Nadal has win his last 3 against Djokovic I'm not sure either player will have a mental edge as such.

Remember last year it was Djokovic's success in IW and Miami which springboarded his success over Nadal on clay.

I was looking at it per year, so that would make last year 6-0 not 7-0 but if you mean wins in a row then yes that's right. Usually it's done on a yearly basis, but I forgot they only played 6 times last year not 7 so I misunderstood lydian was refering to it as 7 in a row. Although that's a strange format, you wouldn't put it 7-0 if it was 7 in a row, you would just state it as 7 in a row, which is what caused the confusion for me.

I'd agree there would be no mental edge if Nadal had won the French Open in str8 sets, but he didn't. The 8 games in a row was revealing, the Aussie Open earlier was too, Nadal was 4-2 up, 30-15 and Nadal fluffed it. The key thing is that Nadal lost the Aussie Open after the changes he made not before. Nadal's success has come all on clay this year(as well as last year), hence why Wimbledon is important for Nadal. The mental edge hasn't disappeared in the slams, that's the key thing for me, they been in evidence in both of their slam encounters this year. Even if Djokovic loses Wimbledon, he still has the hard court slams and fortunately, 2/4 of the slams are on hard court which serves him well (he's already won one of them this year).

Well clearly at AO and at some points during the French Nadal showed he mentally struggled against Djokovic, but now Nadal has finally beaten him in a Grand Slam. This win was huge for Nadal and I think negates the mental edge Djokovic holds.
But I don't think Nadal holds a mental edge over Djokovic either, as Djokovic knows he can beat Nadal.

luciusmann wrote:
I'd agree there would be no mental edge if Nadal had won the French Open in str8 sets, but he didn't.

No things aren't as black and white as you view it i'm afraid.

I didn't say they were black and white IMBL.

It depends on whether you think surfaces make a difference or not. I do. Look at the comparison with Fed, the 2 fastest slams gave him 11 slams and his 2 slowest slams gave him 5. If you go by the speed of the slams and the results between the two in the last 4 slam finals, this is what you get:

Fastest: USO - 4 sets to Djokovic
2nd fastest: Wimbledon - 4 sets to Djokovic
3rd slowest: Aussie Open - 5 sets to Djokovic
slowest: RG - 4 sets to Nadal

That's not to mention that there was a tie breaker in the 3rd set @ the USO, so it wasn't far off being a str8 sets victory. At the slower slams, Djokovic has struggled with Nadal, but in one of them he lost and in the other he won. In the faster slams, Djokovic has had less of a problem. I appreciate you will ascribe Nadal's losses @ Wimbledon & the USO last year to the mental edge Djokovic has over Nadal, although Djokovic has played well too. I think the surfaces make a difference and the fact that in both Monte Carlo and Rome, Nadal dismissed Djokovic in str8 sets, I think RG is not that bad a result for Djokovic (he was the only man to take a set off Nadal). Let's not forget the hype prior to the final from some posters, they were talking of a trouncing of Djokovic by Nadal, something akin to the trouncing Fed got in 2008. It didn't happen. They were also saying it was the resurgent Nadal we saw in 2010, well maybe but he did eventually drop a set this year, not the case back then. So I think the picture that's being painted that Nadal is back because of his clay court victories is misguided although I understand your perspective.

Also, don't read too much into a match (especially on clay). This is exactly what many Rafa fans did after Nadal won RG last year and these were the first supporter to dessert the forum when Nadal lost to Djokovic @ the Wimbledon final. They said it couldn't happen. They also kept offering new explanations but their key one was Djokovic hasn't beaten Nadal in a slam. Now Djokovic has, you're sort of going on the same lines and saying things have changed. Well yes and no. That in my view is far too simplistic an approach. Nadal beat Djokovic at his strongest slam on his best surface. Every other slam he has fallen short, usually by 4 sets but once in 5 sets. I've not said Djokovic will run away with it, I just make him slight favourite because clay skews things and gives a misleading idea of where things are heading against Djokovic.

Of course surfaces make a differences Lucius

What I'm saying is nothing is set in stone. Last year on the two slowest surfaces Djokovic had 2 easy straight sets wins. This year Nadal won the two clay court Masters in straight sets.
Also last year it was Djokovic's victories over Nadal in hard court that inspired his victories on clay, even though clay is not HC.

I think if they do meet in the final it will be up for grabs- but if Nadal plays poorly like he did last year he has no chance IMHO.

It Must Be Love wrote:Of course surfaces make a differences Lucius

What I'm saying is nothing is set in stone. Last year on the two slowest surfaces Djokovic had 2 easy straight sets wins. This year Nadal won the two clay court Masters in straight sets.
Also last year it was Djokovic's victories over Nadal in hard court that inspired his victories on clay, even though clay is not HC.

I think if they do meet in the final it will be up for grabs- but if Nadal plays poorly like he did last year he has no chance IMHO.

I agree, if they meet in the final, it will be up for grabs. I'm hoping for a 5 set epic. That in itself is progress for Nadal although surely the win is what he really wants, that's the real proof of progress against Djokovic.

Yes Lucius, Nadal is after the win
But Djokovic is world number 1 for a reason and has shown he can beat Nadal on all surfaces.

It will be interesting too see, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves this might not even be the final.
I am sure somewhere in a German castle in Halle Federer and Annacone are plotting a surprise.

Anyway good news for you Lucius, Jersey has predicted 'Olderer' will not win another slam.

Considering Jersey's prediction record that probably means Federer has atleast 5 more Grand Slams in the bag