Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Unstoppable Djokovic, Won US Open 2011

Resiliency.
Mental Toughness.
Steady Game.

Novak Djokovic won the US Open 2011
These were the weapons of Novak Djokovic who won his Third Grand Slam this year. He beat his arch rival, the No.2 rank Rafa Nadal in four set, 6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1.

The Serbian Champion improved his record to 64-2 in this season and 6-0 against Nadal.

The Spaniard Rafa Nadal made an early surged and lead 0-2 in the early part of the first and second set. He was full of motivation to redeem himself and beat Djokovic in their head-to-head match up. But, the resilient Serbian never lose his focus and got back in the game and won both sets.

Djokovic forced Nadal to moved side-to-side and went for the long balls. The chops and drop shots of the Serbian Champion also created confusion for Rafa on how to attack and defend in their match. The game was a thriller, Djokovic and Nadal made incredible exchanged of rallies that made the fans in New York crazy. It was unbelievable that both players can shift from offense to defense and return the ball in the other side and score.

Rafa Nadal
Nadal made a huge rally in the third set. He came out on fire and very aggressive. He wouldn't be one of the best Tennis Players of today for nothing. He fought like it was his last game, he put Djokovic flat-footed most of the time in the third set. Although it seemed to be that Djokovic was still in control in the early part of the third set, Rafa made a strong statement when he tied the points in 3-3 and eventually led the set 4-3 over Djokovic. The Serbian player went out of his element and frustration ate his confidence, while Nadal slowly building his momentum. In this set, almost everything was going on the Spaniard's way. It was a tight set, Djokovic wanted to end it there but Nadal was fighting to keep his hopes alive that he could come back and beat his Serbian rival. The "Never Say Die" attitude came into life for Nadal when he won the third set 6-7. The momentum shifted to the Spaniard's side. He was on a roll. He kept his hope alive and in the start of the fourth set he was even more motivated and more confident that he could beat this World Rank No.1.

While Djokovic was leading in the fourth set, 1-0, he suffer from a back strain and needed to be treated immediately to be able to continue the match. It was a 7-minute lull and it broke the momentum of Rafa Nadal. When Novak Djokovic returned in the court, he regained his focus and he took over the match and won the set, 6-1.

It was a hard fought game. Both players deserved the title but Djokovic was the better player in that match, and he's in the run for the Greatest Season Ever in Tennis History.

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