After reaching the title clash in 2008, Novak Djokovic was again among the players to beat in Cincinnati a year later. The Serbian faced Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on his way to the title, wanting to play his best and defeat his biggest rivals.
Novak overcame the first hurdle in style after beating the Spaniard 6-1 6-4 in the semifinals in an hour and 32 minutes. Djokovic defeated Nadal for the fifth time in 19 fights and advanced to his tenth Masters 1000 final, setting the title fight against Federer.
Playing only in the second tournament after Roland Garros and with tendonitis in both knees, Nadal eliminated three rivals to enter the semifinals. However, he didn’t stand a chance against Djokovic, as the Serbian prevailed over the serve and return from start to finish.
Novak scored 21 winners and converted 15 points more than Rafa, defending the one break point he faced and stealing his opponent’s serve three times to earn a place in the final.
The Serbian built the crucial advantage from the shortest distance to four shots and dominated the Spaniard to end the losing streak against one of his biggest rivals. Novak broke into the fourth game of the match with a backhand crosscourt winner and fired a forehand a few minutes later to take the lead 4-1.
Nadal hit a backhand in the sixth match and Djokovic ended the first match with a serve winner shortly after. Rafa saved three breaks early in the second set and finished with an ace to break his fall.
The Spaniard suffered a backhand in game five to earn a break and put the Serbian in a 3-2 lead.
Ljubo on Roger Federer
After reviewing his training before the 2017 Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal, a final that Roger Federer won in five sets after an already legendary match, the former coach of the Swiss, Ivan Ljubicic, also spoke about the famous Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic in 2019.
“Sometimes people come to me wondering if I think Roger would have retired if he had won Wimbledon in 2019 against Djokovic and I always say ‘no, why?’ It’s not like I’m looking for a reason to back down.
He wanted to play. How long would he play? I would say until you feel competitive. I don’t think being ranked 25th in the world would have been a fun thing for him, but he never looked for a reason to retire. ”
