Djokovic vs. Nadal: Who Will Win?
Djokovic vs. Nadal: Who Will Win?
Two superstars square-off at the Caja Magica Saturday
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will both be looking to prove a point on Saturday when they meet for the 50th time in the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open.
While Djokovic leads 26-23 in their legendary FedEx ATP Head2Head series, the Serbian is searching for a return to the peak of his powers after a slow start to 2017. His last semi-final appearance came in January when he captured the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title, the 67th of his career.
In contrast, Nadal is looking like the man to beat once again on European clay, having picked up his 10th title at both the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. He leads the ATP World Tour with 32 match wins in 2017 and has an Open Era record 51 clay crowns.
Yet, the Spaniard has lost his past seven matches – and 15 straight sets – against Djokovic since lifting his ninth trophy at Roland Garros in the 2014 final. The numbers indicate that Djokovic has a mental edge, including a 16-9 record over Nadal in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 matches, three straight clay-court wins (7-14 overall) and three consecutive semi-final victories (8-8).
But in the past five months, Nadal’s game has evolved and his forehand and service confidence have returned. While Djokovic also won seven straight matches against Nadal from the 2011 BNP Paribas Open to the 2012 Australian Open finals, he recently parted company with three long-time members of his support team, including Marian Vajda.
In their first clash for 12 months (since the 2016 Internazionali BNL d’Italia), Saturday’s semi-final will be a must-see for tennis fans.
In their two previous Madrid clashes, Nadal saved three match points in a third set tie-break victory for a place in the 2009 final, while Djokovic captured his first clay-court win over the Spaniard in the 2011 final. Nadal is a four-time champion at the Caja Magica, while Djokovic is the defending champion (also 2011 titlist).
PERIODS OF DOMINANCE: NOVAK & RAFA’S RIVALRY
| Start of Streak | Last Match of Streak | Streak Record | Overal Head2Head |
| 2006 Roland Garros | 2009 Madrid | Nadal 14-4 | Nadal 14-4 |
| 2009 Cincinnati | 2012 Australian Open | Djokovic 10-2 | Nadal 16-14 |
| 2012 Monte-Carlo | 2013 US Open | Nadal 6-1 | Nadal 22-15 |
| 2013 Beijing | Rome 2016 | Djokovic 11-1 | Djokovic 26-23 |
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