Nadal downs Djokovic in Italian Open semi-final; one win away from regaining No 1 rank
King of clay defended his kingdom against familiar foe Novak Djokovic in the semi final of the Italian Open in Rome. This was the 51st meeting between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic with the Spaniard coming out on top in two sets. The Serbian tennis star who is on a comeback trail after sitting out most of last year due to elbow injury looked at his near best in the first set as he took it to a deciding tie- break.
Nadal has enjoyed yet another stellar clay court season winning a record breaking 50 consecutive sets on his favorite surface before eventually being stopped by Dominic Thiem. Due to his loss in Madrid the Spaniard had to relinquish his world number 1 ranking to Roger Federer which he could regain with a win on Sunday against Marin Cilic or Alexander Zverev. Nadal who already has a staggering 10 French Open trophies against his name will once again be the favorite to hoist the cup at Roland Garros.
“It was a tough match, of course, playing against him [Novak] is always a big challenge. He played well, and it’s always the same against him; when you go down a little bit in level, he is always there and you are in big trouble. I needed to play aggressive with my forehand, that’s when I felt I was a little more in control” Rafa said after the match. Djokovic is one of the few players on tour who have a better head to head record against Nadal which after today’s match stands at 26-25 and his form today seems a good sign of the Serb path to recovery. His loss today though will see Novak being pushed out of the top 20 rankings in nearly 12 years.
