2011 US Open: What Rafael Nadal Needs to Do in Order to Beat Novak Djokovic

Entering this year's US Open, something seems wrong in the men's field. For every year starting in 2004, either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal has been the top seed going into the season's final major.

However, this year a fresh face is at the top.

There has been a recurring theme in all sports this year. Baseball had the year of the pitcher, in football it was the quarterbacks' year, basketball has the year of the point guard. For tennis, it has been the year if Novak Djokovic.

The Serb has amassed a 50-1 record (through Friday), with two slams, and he is the newly-crowned world No. 1.

For Rafael Nadal, currently ranked world No. 2, it has been a relatively up-and-down year. But, there has been one constant: his inability to defeat Novak Djokovic. The Djoker has beaten Nadal on all surfaces, including twice on the Spaniards beloved clay, and five times overall.

Prior to the US Open, the vast majority of the top players compete in two Masters 1000 events, tune-ups for the Slam. During this week's tournament in Montreal, as other top seeds faltered, Novak Djokovic enters Saturday still alive and getting ready for a Wimbledon semifinals rematch with No. 15 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

As Nadal lost to Ivan Dodig in the second round , he waits impatiently for the next tournament to start, with one clear goal in mind: beat Novak Djokovic.

Of course one very vital question still remains unanswered: How?

There are two key things Nadal must keep in mind when he faces the Serb.

Serve Well

This may seem like an easy task, but it hurt Nadal in the Wimbledon final. Last year during his amazing US Open championship run, Nadal served better than ever. Not only were his serves in the 120 to 130 range, but the placement greatly enhanced their effectiveness. If against Djokovic, Nadal can serve like he did last year and control the points on his serve, he should be in better position.

He doesn't need to hit a ton of aces, but if his serve dictates the tempo, he'll be in good shape.

Find the Right Mix Between Offense and Defense

It is critical for Nadal to find a good balance between these two styles. When watching his earlier matches with Djokovic, one senses that Nadal is always too far towards one approach. Either, he'll push too strongly for winners, going for shots he knows aren't there, or he floats the shots back, giving Novak all the power for that point.

If Nadal decides that sometimes he has to advance from the baseline and push Djokovic around, he will finish off points faster, and waste less energy. Once he establishes that game, he can go back to grinding it out, making the Serb hit every last ball back.

If Rafa enters the match with that mentality, it will give him a better mentality of how to shake Djokovic, it gives him the upper hand. If he can execute that plan, he should win if the two rivals are to meet again.