epa05091859 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Leonardo Mayer of Argentina during their quarter final match at the Qatar ATP Open tennis tournament at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, 07 January 2016.
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It will be the pair’s 47th meeting, an ATP Tour record, with the head-to-head count now standing at 23 wins apiece.
In four matches played in 2015, Djokovic had four victories and whatever gains that Nadal had showed coming into this final was seriously exposed by the mastery and shot-making of the Serbian.
Djokovic won a first prize of US$201,165 (€184,124) while Nadal, playing in his 99th final, took home US$105,940 (€96,965).
It’s happening right here – a Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal final. He won three titles from six finals through the year, but none at Masters or Grand Slam level. “Nobody is invincible. But I’m playing the tennis of my life, and I will try to, you know, nurture and cherish those moments on the court”.
“I guess it’s a pretty important match … let’s see what happens”, Djokovic said.
If there is one doubt he takes from Doha though is that he has a niggling arm injury, which he admits he has received treatment for, but downplayed its importance on Saturday. The World No.1, however, raised his game and took five successive games to close out the set, as Berdych typically lost his game and nerves.
Wawrinka, the two-time defending champion who won his first title here in 2011 after finishing runner-up in 2010, dominated the 65-minute match against third-seeded Paire with his strong serve, and saved his lone break point in the second set.
The 34-year-old Swiss is ultimately aiming for his second consecutive title at this event and third final in as many appearances. For Nadal had not won a title on this surface in 18 tournaments since winning in Doha two years ago.
Back in the days when Nadal was still sporting a muscle top and pirate trousers, Djokovic was simply an upcoming challenger to the Spaniard and the Queen’s Club was decked in Stella Artois red, these two played out a high-quality final in west London. “They would be the two main ones for me”, he added. “It’s for every young player an fantastic experience to play with the probably greatest of all time”, Thiem said.
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Referring to the Spaniard’s recent improved play after struggling throughout most of 2015, when his ranking fell to as low as No. 10, Djokovic said he was not surprised that his longtime rival had turned things around.
