Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal: Rafa Will Win First ATP World Tour Final
Rafael Nadal will meet Novak Djokovic on Monday for a chance to win the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time, and it's an opportunity he won't squander.
Nadal reached the final after taking down six-time champion Roger Federer on Sunday. He won the match 7-5, 6-3 to reach the final for just the second time in his career, as noted by the ATP World Tour on Twitter:
Anyone who's been paying attention to men's tennis in 2013 will tell you this is Nadal's year.
He shockingly moved from No. 5 in the world in January all the way up to No. 1 this season, winning 10 titles before this tournament—including the French Open and U.S. Open—while posting an overall record of 71-6.
Djokovic's overall record of 67-9 isn't too shabby, either, and he won six tournaments this year—including the Australian Open to get the Grand Slam season started. He's also won 21 matches in a row after easily defeating Stanislas Wawrinka on Sunday, 6-3, 6-3, as noted by Tennis.com:
Nadal has had the edge over Djokovic, though, both in terms of their careers and this season. He's won three of five matches this season and 22 of 38 overall, as noted by tennistweets:
Interestingly enough, the King of Clay has won two of the three matches against Djokovic this year that were contested on hard courts. Nadal typically isn't as sharp on hard courts as he is on grass or clay, but he's been particularly effective on this surface in 2013, winning four hard-court titles this season.
There's only one thing left for Nadal to do this year.
He's already the player of the year, but he must earn the title with a definitive victory over his long-time rival with the world watching.
Winning the ATP World Finals will be the cherry on top of Nadal's extraordinary season.
And he'll do it.
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