Nadal seals domination at the venue that started his turnaround

According to Nadal,a lot has to do with that four-set loss to Djokovic in New York in 2011. After dropping the first two sets,Nadal won the third in a tiebreaker.

A very important moment for me, Nadal explained. I was able to change that situation,to fight more than (I had) in the previous matches against him,and (see) a way for me to play. … Run for every point. Fight,fight for every ball. And play aggressive. And thats what I did in the third set. Amazing points in that set. Very long rallies. (You cant) hear the ball,because the crowd is crazy in a lot of points. So that means that was very high quality, Nadal said.

As well as he played,he realised,Djokovic was better then. Their next match was the Australian Open final in January 2012,and Djokovic won that one,too. Except this time,they played five sets stretched over nearly six hours,making it the longest Grand Slam title match in history. It was a defeat but,Nadal said Monday,I finished very happy,because next I was able to change the dynamic.

The next time they played,about three months later in the final at Monte Carlo,Nadal won in straight sets. He was back on the right path,knowing that one key for him was to play closer to the baseline and look to attack more when possible.

Part of what makes their rivalry special is the ability to spur each other. Nadal was better at the start of their careers. Djokovic did what he needed to do to edge ahead. Then Nadal regained the upper hand. Together,they have won 12 of the past 15 major titles. In Open era,which began in 1968,no two men have played each other as many times as this pair. Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe are next with 36; Nadal and Roger Federer have 31 meetings.

Nadal vs. Federer provides a contrast in styles. Nadal vs. Djokovic is a matchup of mirror images. Both are terrific serve returners. Both cover every inch of the court. Both force opponents to hit shot after shot after shot,which is why they wind up playing points that can last more than 50 strokes,as happened Monday. Both can switch from defense to offense with a twist of the wrist.

Djokovic turns to Davis Cup to get his mojo back

Reuters

LONDON,September 11

If Novak Djokovic needed a quick fix for any post U.S. Open blues,this weeks Davis Cup semi-final against Canada in Belgrade could not have been better timed. The world No.1 saw his hopes of a second title at Flushing Meadows crushed by a rampant Rafael Nadal on Monday and looked crestfallen following the defeat.

However,national pride will be at stake on Friday when Serbia take on the Canadians in the same Belgrade arena in which Serbia won the title in 2010 against France a victory that inspired Djokovic towards world domination in 2011. Fiercely proud of his country,Djokovic points that Davis Cup final as a turning point in his career and with another final at stake if they beat Canada,it is highly unlikely he would let aching limbs or a tired mind keep him off court. Djokovics always made it clear that he is honoured to play for Serbia, team captain Bogdan Obradovic said this week.

We will see how he feels when he gets here from the United States. He chose to play for Serbia and knows what the requirements are but nonetheless he will get well-deserved time off to recuperate. Obradovic will do all in his power to get Djokovic out on court for Fridays opening singles against Canada who,with big-server world No.11 Milos Raonic in their ranks,will be confident of reaching the final for the first time.

Waiting for the winners will be either last years champions the Czech Republic or Argentina.