U.S. Open Final: 10 Reasons Novak Djokovic Could Upset Rafael Nadal
After a grueling three hour and 44 minute battle with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic has now reached the finals of the U.S. Open.
Not only did he prevent a matchup between Federer and Nadal for the first time at the U.S. Open., but he's already being slated as easy competition against world No. 1 player Rafael Nadal.
Are the odds stacked against him? Sure, but don't count him out yet.
Here are 10 reasons Novak Djokovic could upset Rafael Nadal.
10. Adrenaline
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After a big win on Saturday, Novak Djokovic is riding high.
As the No. 3 ranked player in the world, Djokovic is a true tennis contender that is on the upswing of his career.
But the truth is, everyone preferred a Federer vs. Nadal final.
Although he may be physically fatigued, he needs to use the momentum from the Federer win to take Nadal by surprise in the finals.
9. Confidence Boost: Beating Federer
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Federer was Djokovic's biggest obstacle in 2007 when he also reached the U.S. Open finals.
There he fell to the Swiss great in three sets, 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4.
This time around, in a five-set battle, he was finally able to take down Federer, one of the greatest tennis players of all-time.
He should also experience a confidence boost from that victory.
8. Battle Tested
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His body might be tired from well-fought battles during the tournament.
But there are a lot of positives to be taken from all of his adversity at the U.S. Open.
Djokovic is battle-tested and he has proven he belongs.
He came back from being down two sets to one against fellow Serbian Viktor Troicki. Nole won the first-round match, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3.
On his way to the finals he also defeated top players, James Blake, Mardy Fish, and Gael Monfils.
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7. Great Return and Break Serve
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Djokovic exhibited his ability to return the serve of Roger Federer in the semifinals match. During the final game of the match, he broke Federer's serve 6-5 and held serve to win 7-5.
He needs to exhibit more of the same against Nadal's powerful and accurate serve.
Throughout the competition, Nadal's serve has allowed him to take control of games.
On Saturday, Nadal held serve 13-of-14 times and he has held a total of 89-of-91 during this tournament.
6. Speed And Ability To Adjust
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Djokovic has shown in the past that he can adjust to Rafa's game of forcing his opponent to use their backhand.
Djokovic's strengths are his speed and ability to cover the entire court.
He needs to beat Nadal at his own game, Nole needs to defend well and return Nadal's volleys and drop shots, while being aggressive.
5. Fast Start
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A fast start is needed for Djokovic to stand a chance against Rafa.
He needs to go all out from the very beginning.
Nole gave Rafa fits during their match at the 2009 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, where he started strong by breaking Nadal's serve early and took the first game. Yet he failed to close it out after holding three match points and lost 3–6, 7–6(5), 7–6(9).
That was on clay, the U.S. Open is hard surface and Nole stands a better chance of winning if he remains aggressive.
4. U.S. Open Finals Experience
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Novak's been here before.
In 2007, he faced Roger Federer in the Finals of the U.S. Open.
Though he lost to Federer in straight sets, he learned a lot from expectation of being in a U.S. Open final match.
That's experience that Nadal doesn't have.
3. Nadal Hasn't Been Challenged
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In complete contrast to Djokovic's road to the finals, Nadal path has been relatively easy since he hasn't been seriously challenged.
During the semifinals, Nadal easily defeated Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
Now playing in the first U.S. Open of his career with an opportunity to become only the seventh tennis player in history to win a Career Grand Slam, the pressure is on for Nadal not Djokovic to win.
2. Hard Court Record
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Djokovic has a lifetime record of 7-14 against Nadal.
But all seven of those wins have came while playing on hard surfaces.
If he stands a chance to win against Nadal, it would be at Flushing Meadows.
1. The Likable And Charsimatic Underdog
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While most of the fans that were watching his epic duel against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the U.S. Open were clearly rooting for Roger, it's hard not to become fond of this 23-year-old Serbian.
The pressure is arguably greater for Nadal to win, since history is at stake.
"I'm sure I will find the strength to give my best tomorrow on the court," said Nole to members of the media after beating Federer.
For Djokovic, he's the underdog and the pressure is significantly less considering he's not expected to win.
But don't count him out. If he's capable of taking down a big opponent in Federer, he's more than able to defeat Nadal, especially on a hard surface.
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