When Mary Jo Fernandez asked Rafael Nadal on how he plans on dealing with Novak Djokovic in the final, the Spaniard looked towards the heavens, cracked a smile at the Arthur Ashe crowd and said: “Maybe the New York people can help me?”
The second seed revealed no game plan, there was no talk of backhands or serves, and that’s because Nadal has played the Serb in five finals this season, and lost all five – if he had a plan in mind, he’s already tried it and failed.
Rafa has exhausted all his tricks this year against Djokovic and on Monday it seems that only divine intervention can help the Mallorcan.
For months now, Djokovic has been described as fearless, and his semi-final against Roger Federer saw him showcasing that quality. That monster forehand return on match point against the Swiss maestro in the semi-finals was boldness-personified and his five-set win over is probably just what he needed because the 24-year-old has not been at his best so far in the Open.
He was nowhere close to losing but he wasn’t as imposing as he’d been all season. His path to the semis wasn’t a complicated one but Djokovic had to climb out of a couple of holes en route before he was outplayed by Federer in the first two sets, so the domination man Djokovic has been impersonating all year has not really been on display.
Meanwhile, Nadal started slow but picked up in the third round but after Djokovic’s huge confidence boost against Federer, I just can’t see Nadal defending his title.
Djokovic has been moving faster than Rafa, taking the ball earlier, serving stronger, showing more stamina in the long rallies, hitting an unshakeable backhand, the list just goes on and on.
Nadal has been better in first serve consistency and covering the net but what really tips things over to Djokovic is the mental edge he has over Rafa. Unless Nadal has undergone therapy before Monday’s eagerly-anticipated match I don’t see him winning.
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This final has Djokovic written all over it but for the sake of optimism, here are a few guesses of what Nadal can do to test Djokovic…
Serve impeccably and try to approach the net ONLY when Djokovic hits a bad return and is not in a good position for a brilliant pass.
Avoid targetting the backhand, it’s Djokovic’s stronger shot and it does not waver.
Avoid over-using the topspin and instead mix it up a bit with some flat shots and slices.
Avoid long rallies, Djokovic can out-rally anyone at the moment.
Avoid staying miles behind the baseline, defence has not worked in five finals this year.
Borrowing a page from Rafa’s book – and Melanie Oudin’s shoe – I’m going to go ahead and say BELIEVE! Nadal has to take all of Djokovic’s confidence, multiply it, then go for his shots and keep that error count really low.
