'Novak Djokovic had some 23 match winning streak there', says ATP ace

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After a breakout run in 2007, Novak Djokovic became a major champion in Melbourne in early 2008. Two months later, Novak advanced to the Indian Wells final after a dominant 6-3, 6-2 win over Rafael Nadal in one hour and 28 minutes. It was his ninth meeting on Tour and the third win for the Serb, who lost 14 points in nine service games and suffered a break. Novak took half of the return points and got four breaks from seven chances, enough to advance to the final. Djokovic had more winners and fewer unforced errors. He forced more errors from Nadal's racket and controlled the pace to put himself miles behind the Spaniard in the fastest exchanges of up to four shots. Novak closed out the opening game with a service winner, and Rafa kept it 1-1. In his worst service game ever, the Serb made a forehand error in the third game and broke down to go down 2-1. However, Nadal stayed in front for only a couple of minutes. In game four, the Serb made a forehand error and lost the lead and momentum. Novak held the lead in game seven and picked up another break in the next after a lucky touch at the net to take a 5-3 lead. The World No. 3 ace down the T-line in game nine to close out the first game and gain momentum heading into the second. The Spaniard received medical timeout for a left toenail and held on in the first game of the second set with an ace.

Isner praises Nole Djokovic

American ace John Isner finds Novak Djokovic the toughest to face among the Big 3. "It's probably Novak. Even though I played Rafa on clay off the top of my head, I played him on clay like four times. I think, once at the French Open, you know, that's one of the toughest tasks in our sport, in sports period. It's beating that guy on clay and but even more so than that beating him at as we know Roland Garros," he said. Isner also recalled their 2015 China Open clash, which took place in freezing conditions. "I played him in Beijing years ago. I'm just gonna try remembering, 2015. In the quarterfinals, its a big match, a big tournament and I was fired up to play him in the quarters and going to bed that night and look on my weather app and just checking out the weather. He had some 23 match winning streak there. I was like I'm screwed. It's 48 degrees and heavy conditions against Novak, who never loses this tournament, There's no shot it. I went out there, It was freezing. Freezing cold, zero free points and it was two and two. So to answer your question, it's Novak," he added.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/cUItHxS

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