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By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, January 25, 2019

 
Rafael Nadal

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic meets world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final that pops with purpose and possibility and may hinge on one key factor.

Mark Peterson/Corleve

The world's top two collide in an Australian Open final that's a perfect storm of fury and legacy.

Episode 53 of the Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry crackles with purpose and possibility as the pair square off in Sunday's final.

Watch: Djokovic Powers Into AO Dream Final

Riding a 20 major match win streak, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is aiming to claim a record seventh Australian Open title in his seventh Melbourne final.

If Djokovic wins his 15th career Grand Slam crown on Sunday he will take sole possession of third place on the all-time Grand Slam list.

A ruthless Rafael Nadal has roared through his first tournament of the season without surrendering a set.

Two years ago, Nadal came agonizingly close to winning Melbourne only to see archrival Roger Federer fire past him with a fifth-set flurry.

Rafael Nadal

Should Nadal defeat Djokovic and win his 18th Grand Slam title on Sunday he will close the gap on 20-time Grand Slam king Roger Federer while accelerating toward the red zone of his Roland Garros title defense.

Rod Laver Arena is a crossroads of rivalry and history.

Djokovic says this is a perfect storm: Iconic champions reuniting on the same stage where they engaged on an epic with the Serbian overcoming exhaustion with elation edging Nadal, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5, in the 2012 AO final. That five hour, 53-minute epic was the longest Grand Slam final.

"I think that this finals comes at the right time for both of us. I'm sure we're going to have a blast on the court," Djokovic said after demolishing Lucas Pouille. "We can promise one thing, and that's knowing both of us that we're going to give absolutely everything out on the court. I think people will enjoy it. I will, of course, try to play as well as I have so far."

The 14-time Grand Slam champion holds a 27-25 career edge over Nadal in the most prolific rivalry in ATP history. Djokovic is riding a seven-match hard-court winning streak over Nadal, while the world No. 2 is aiming for his first hard-court win over the Serbian since his four-set triumph in the 2013 US Open final.




Overall, Nadal has won four of their seven meetings in major finals, while Djokovic has prevailed in eight of their last 10 meetings, including a pulsating 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 3-6, 10-8 triumph in the 2018 Wimbledon semifinals. This eighth encounter in a Slam final comes with both peaking.



Playing his first tournament since hobbling out of the US Open semifinals vs. Juan Martin del Potro, Nadal is commanding the center of the court and chewing up the poor soul standing across the net.

Working with coach Carlos Moya in the offseason to add some sting to his serve and mix his serving patterns has paid dividends for Nadal. When the king of clay can displace the returner with the first serve setting up the vicious forehand it's the equivalent of point-ending execution.

The 2009 champion insists this is not the new Nadal, it's just Rafa refining what he does best: relentless agression.

"Is nothing new that I am aggressive," Nadal said. "The problem with myself is because I had a lot of success on clay people probably think I am not aggressive. I really believe that people thinks that are completely wrong. That's the real thing, no?

"Of course, I am not doing serve and volley. I am not hitting winners every ball. But I play all the shots with a goal. There is not better way to be aggressive than hit every shot with the goal to create damage on the opponent. That was my goal during all the career."

In the aftermath of his spiritually-crushing semifinal thrashing at Nadal's hands, a dazed Stefanos Tsitsipas conceded facing the Spaniard's twisting topspin was so disorientating it felt like "like a different dimension of tennis completely."

Here's the thing: Djokovic has dueled in that dimension more than any player in history--and has ultimataley emerged energized and strengthened by an experience Roland Garros runner-up Dominic Thiem called "the biggest challenge in sport."

Don't forget, it was Djokovic who prevailed in the five hour, 53-minute Melbourne marathon in 2012 then unleashed his inner Incredible Hulk with shirt-tearing fervor.



Nadal flips the tactical script on Djokovic firing his lefty forehand crosscourt into the top seed's vaunted two-handed backhand in an ongoing exchange of iconic strokes.

The 31-year-old Serbian's skill repelling Nadal's hellacious topspin then stepping in to drive his backhand down the line is one reason he he's won eight of the last 10 matches in this rivalry, which pops with tactical adjustments from both.

"Of course, playing Rafa requires a different approach tactically," Djokovic said. "I'm sure it's the same from his side towards me.

"He's my biggest rival in my career. I've played so many matches against him, epic matches on this court. Of course, the one that stands out was the finals of six hours almost in 2012. Hopefully we don't go that long this time. But I'm sure we're going to have a good finals."

In their prior 52 matches, neither man has ever successfully rallied to win from two-sets-to-one down.

That makes a fast start vital, but Djokovic knows from their past Australian Open epic that closing power matters most.

The world No. 1 believes his ability to alter his return position and give the second-ranked Spaniard different looks will be a key to the final.

Ultimately, two baseline warriors who gave us the longest Grand Slam final in a brutal baseline grind will both be playing more efficient end games in the rematch.

"(I) do not necessarily want to get into long exchanges with Nadal. But I think my 1-2 punches that worked pretty well throughout this tournament," Djokovic said. "The good thing is I'm feeling really comfortable on the court hitting the ball. I can get into the court, I can step back, I can defend. I'm comfortable doing whatever it takes.

"I'm going to get out there and obviously try to dictate the play. But it's easier said than done against Nadal. Just depends how we both start. Throughout the match, I guess you're going to have to be present and get a feel of how it evolves. Sometimes it will require to be a little bit more patience with more construction of the point, sometimes maybe to attack more. We'll see.

Novak Djokovic

"I mean, he has improved his serve. I see he has a slightly different service motion that has worked very well. With everything he possesses, all the qualities in his game, adding to that also a lot of free points on the serve makes him much tougher to play against."




Grand Slam tennis is a major mind game and Nadal says he's driven to do damage.

"Today I can do that damage little bit earlier than before because during this event I have been serving great," Nadal said. "So when you serve great, then the first ball normally is a little bit easier. That's probably the only reason. I had the determination to make that happen. That's all.

"Today I'm serving better. That's why I'm able to create more winners on the first ball. That's the only reason. For the rest of the things, I always tried to be aggressive. I have my mentality. You can't go against the way you understand the sport. I can't play trying to hit winners every ball if I don't understand the sport that way. You can't deal with the pressure. The mental part have to go in front of the game. That's what I did during all my career."

 

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