Despite a sore back, Djokovic turned out a masterful performance that left the Spanish-born Nadal struggling.
The usually confident Nadal seemed unlike his usual self as Djokovic forced him into an ultra physical game. By the end of the fourth set, which Nadal forced by winning a tie break and the third set, the “Bullfighter” Rafa was gone, replaced by a player who realized he had been outplayed by the man who sits atop the world’s tennis rankings.
The match featured an extraordinary amount of service breaks, as Djokovic had 26 break-point chances and broke Nadal 11 of those times, which was the most times the great Spaniard had been broken in 163 career Grand Slam matches.
Djokovic also won the Australian Open in January, and is only the sixth man in the 40-plus years of the Open era to collect three major titles in a single season.
