French Open 2012 Final Preview: Novak Djokovic Vs Rafael Nadal

There weren’t any upsets in the semis of French Open 2012 as the top two seeds reached the final. Six time champion Nadal takes on the current world no. 1 Novak Djokovic this Sunday, in an eagerly anticipated summit clash. Nadal, the unrivaled maestro on clay, still remains the bookies’ favourite to win the tournament. On the other hand, Djokovic, appearing in the final of Roland Garros for the first time,  would do all he can to snatch the cup away from the current champion. If the Serbian manages to do so, he would be only the third player in Open era to hold all the four Grand slams at the same time.

Nadal reached the final in a ruthless fashion, drubbing every opponent in straight sets. Simone Bolelli, Denis Istominm, Eduardo Schwank, Juan Monaco and Nicolas Almagro stood no match as Nadal confidently marched on to the semis. The semi-final was one-sided as expected as Rafa felled fellow countryman and good friend David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

Djokovic too was in cruise control in the first three rounds, defeating Potito Starace, Blaz Kavcic and Nicolas Devilder. He was stretched to five sets by Andreas Seppi and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but he held his nerves to reach the semis. In one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament, Djokovic handsomely defeated the Swiss great, Roger Federer. While everyone expected a gruelling clash, it turned out to be a damp squib as the Serbian easily overpowered Federer 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

Head to head

The two players have met each other 32 times, with the Spaniard winning 18 out of those encounters. In  Grand slams too Nadal leads Djokovic 5-3. The pair last met in the 2012 Rome Masters final. Nadal once again displayed his supremacy on red clay, defeating Djokovic in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3. Djokovic last won against Nadal in the five-hour epic final of Australian Open 2011. In fact, Djokovic was successful against Nadal only twice on clay, while the Spaniard emerged as victor on eleven occasions.

Schedule of Play

Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris.

Match time: Sunday, June 10 at 9 a.m EDT

Though the statistics are overwhelmingly in favour of Rafa, he is up against no ordinary player. Djokovic is at his peak and gunning for a place in the history books. Come Sunday, tennis enthusiasts will witness a match that has all the ingredients of a timeless classic.

 

Tags: Australia, Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Preview

Category: French Open, Tennis