Internazionali BNL d'Italia Sunday Preview

© AFP/Getty ImagesRafael Nadal is bidding to win his sixth Rome title.

They met in the finals of Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid, but the underdog prevailed every time. Can the World No. 1 turn the tables on the fast-approaching World No. 2 in the final of Rome? This is the first time in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 history (since 1990), the same two players are meeting in four finals in same year.

This is the first time in Rome the top two ranked players are in the final since 2006 when No. 2 Nadal defeated No. 1 Roger Federer in five sets.

After an opening round scare where he was two games from losing, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal has cruised through to another final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, losing just 16 games in his three matches since (wins over Lopez, Cilic and Gasquet). He is an amazing 31-1 at this event, winning the title a record five times (2005-07, ’09-10) and his only loss coming between those titles to countryman Juan Carlos Ferrero in his opening match in 2008. Nadal is playing in his 62nd ATP World Tour level final (45-16, including an outstanding 31-3 mark on clay).  He is also in his 29th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final (19-9). He is the first player to reach five straight ATP Masters 1000 finals.

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World No. 2 Novak Djokovic has had the opposite pattern in reaching the final this week, racing through his first three matches losing just 11 games (including a 63 60 drubbing of World No. 5 Robin Soderling) and going the absolute distance in his semi-final match with World No. 4 Andy Murray, twice trailing by a break in the third set but eventually bringing out his very best tennis in a tie-break to win, 61 36 76(2). Djokovic is currently 36-0 on the season (38-0 going back to last December), the second-best start to an ATP World Tour campaign, only behind John McEnroe’s 42-0 start in 1984. The Serb is 17-3 in Rome, winning the title in 2008 (d. Wawrinka),  the year Nadal lost his only match. Djokovic, who is 6-0 in finals this year, is playing in his 38th ATP World Tour final (24-13). He is 6-3 in  clay finals. He is also in his 15th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final (8-6).
 
Djokovic has beaten Nadal all three times they’ve played this year, in three sets in the Indian Wells and Miami finals and in straight sets seven days ago in the Madrid final. The Serb is trying to become the second player (Davydenko) to beat Nadal four times in a row. The Madrid final was of particular importance, as it was Djokovic’s first win in 10 clay court meetings against the Spaniard. Nadal still leads 9-1 in their clay court head-to-head, and 16-10 in their overall rivalry.

“Novak is unbeatable this year. He is the favorite,” Nadal said after his semi-final. “He’s playing a different league this year but we will see. I have less pressure than before because I’ve lost that favorite status. This is my sixth straight final and I’m very happy how I’m playing and how I’m doing things. If he plays better than me tomorrow and wins, I’ll go home another time and practice more and keep fighting to be ready for another match. If it’s not tomorrow, Roland Garros is next, and I will try my best every moment.”

WHAT’S AT STAKE –
Winner:  € 438,000 and 1000 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points
Runner-up: € 205,000 and 600 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points

FINALS HISTORY –
Nadal:  Appearing in his 62st ATP World Tour level final………..……..He is 45-16 in finals  
           Appearing in his 29th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final…....He is 19-9 in finals
Djokovic:  Appearing in his 38th ATP World Tour level final………..……...He is 24-13 in finals   
               Appearing in his 15th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final……..He is 8-6 in finals

LONGEST MATCH WINNING STREAKS – Djokovic  has the longest match winning streak to begin the season (36) since John McEnroe went 42-0 in 1984. Overall he has the sixth-longest match winning streak (38) going back to last December’s Davis Cup final. Here are the longest match winning streaks:
                            No. Year
1) Guillermo Vilas  46 1977
2) Ivan Lendl         44 1981-82
3) John McEnroe    42 1984
4) Roger Federer    41 2006-07
Bjorn Borg             41 1979-80
6) Novak Djokovic  38 2010-11

OPEN ERA CLAY COURT TITLE LEADERS – Nadal is No. 3 in the Open Era clay court titles leaders list:
                                            No.
1) Guillermo Vilas                   45
2) Thomas Muster                   40
3) Rafael Nadal                        31
4) Bjorn Borg, Manuel Orantes  30

ATP WORLD TOUR MASTERS 1000 TITLE LEADERS -- Nadal is attempting to capture his 20th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title while Djokovic his ninth. Here are the leaders (since 1990):

                   No. 
Rafael Nadal 19 Novak Djokovic   8
Andre Agassi 17 Thomas Muster   8
Roger Federer 17 Michael Chang   7
Pete Sampras 11 Andy Murray      6

CLAY COURT DOMINATOR – Here's a year-by-year look at Nadal's clay court supremacy since 2005, compiling an 193-7 match record and 30-3 mark (31-3 in career) in clay court finals on the ATP World Tour:
            W-L    Clay Finals
2011 - 17-1         2-1
2010 - 22-0         4-0
2009 - 23-2         3-1
2008 - 24-1         4-0
2007 - 31-1         5-1
2006 - 26-0         4-0
2005 - 50-2         8-0
Note: Djokovic is trying to become the third player (Gaudio-3, Federer-2) to beat Nadal twice on clay

2011 ATP WORLD TOUR MATCH WINS LEADERS – Djokovic and Nadal lead the ATP World Tour in match wins this season
                                    W-L    Titles
1) Novak Djokovic          36-0   6
2) Rafael Nadal              36-5   2  
3) Roger Federer           28-7   1
4) Juan Martin del Potro 27-6    2
    David Ferrer               27-7   2      
    Nicolas Almagro         27-9   2

SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP FED-EX HEAD 2 HEADS –

(1)Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Nadal Leads 16-10
06 Roland Garros (France) Clay QF Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4 ret
07 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells  Hard F Rafael Nadal 6-2 7-5
07 Sony Ericsson Open – Miami Hard QF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4
07 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay QF Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-3
07 Roland Garros (France) Clay SF Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-4 6-2
07 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass SF Rafael Nadal 3-6 6-1 4-1 ret
07 ATP Masters Series Montreal  Hard SF Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3
07 Tennis Masters Cup (China) Hard RR Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4
08 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells  Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2
08 ATP Masters Series Hamburg Clay SF Rafael Nadal 7-5 2-6 6-2
08 Roland Garros (France) Clay SF Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-2 7-6(3)
08 London / Queen's Club  Grass F Rafael Nadal 7-6(6) 7-5
08 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati  Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 7-5
08 Beijing Olympics (China) Hard SF Rafael Nadal 6-4 1-6 6-4
09 ESP vs. SRB WG 1st RD (Spain) Clay RR Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4 6-1
09 ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo  Clay F Rafael Nadal 6-3 2-6 6-1
09 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay F Rafael Nadal 7-6(2) 6-2
09 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid  Clay SF Rafael Nadal 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(9)
09 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati  Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4
09 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris  Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3
09 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals  Hard RR Novak Djokovic 7-6(5) 6-3
10 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard F Rafael Nadal 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2
10 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-2
11 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells  Hard F Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-3 6-2
11 ATP Masters 1000 Miami Hard F Novak Djokovic 4-6    6-3   7-6(4)
11 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Clay F Novak Djokovic 7-5    6-4

                                    Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic
 Sets Won:                            38               26
 Tiebreak Sets Won:                5                 2
 Match Wins By Surface:
 Clay:                                    9                  1
 Hard:                                   5                  9
 Grass:                                  2                  0

NADAL FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The tournament’s only five-time champion (2005-07, ’09-10) comes into the final with a 31-1 career mark after posting a 67(5) 64 60 win over Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi, 64 62 victory over countryman Feliciano Lopez, 61 63 triumph over Marin Cilic & 75 61 over No. 16 Richard Gasquet…Has held serve 37 of 40 games (93%) and won 18 of 41 return games (44%), converting 18 of 31 break pts. (58%)
• Last year came in No. 3 and defeated countryman David Ferrer 75 62 in the final
• In 2009, he defeated No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the final to improve to 7-0 against Top 10 opponents… He became the first player to win four titles in tournament history…Thomas Muster (1990, ’95-96), Martin Mulligan (1963, ’65, ’67) and Jaroslav Drobny (1950-52) are the only three-time winners
• His only loss here came in the opening round (after a bye) in 2008 to Juan Carlos Ferrero 75 61
• In 2007, he defeated Fernando Gonzalez 62 62 in the title match and in 2006, prevailed in a fifth set tie-break over No. 1 Federer (saved two match points in 5:05 marathon)…In 2005, defeated Argentine Guillermo Coria in a fifth set tie-break (in five hours, 14 minutes) for his first Rome title

2011 Highlights:
W: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (d Ferrer); Barcelona (d Ferrer); F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Djokovic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Djokovic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Djokovic); SF: Doha (l Davydenko); QF: Australian Open (l Ferrer)
 
2011 in Review:
• The World No. 1 has a 36-5 mark on the season  (17-1 on clay, 19-4 on hard) and he’s appearing in his sixth straight final in his eighth tournament…Last Sunday in Madrid his 37-match clay court winning streak ended with a 75 64 final loss to Djokovic)…It was his third streak of 30 or more clay wins (81, 33)
• He is the first player to begin the year reaching five straight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals…It’s also the first time in his career he’s reached six consecutive finals on ATP World Tour
• He was runner-up in Indian Wells and Miami, falling in three sets to Djokovic both times, and then captured back-to-back titles on clay with his seventh straight crown at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo and sixth career title in Barcelona (d. Ferrer in both)
• He is 45-16 lifetime in finals (31-3 on clay, losing to Federer twice and Djokovic) and is No. 12 on Open Era titles list… He is 19-9 in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals (14-3 on clay)
• He comes in with 508 career match wins (508-106) and ranked No. 1 for 95th overall week (first took over top spot on Aug. 18, 2008), 49 in a row since June 7, 2010 (after winning Roland Garros for fifth time in six years)…He will go into Paris No. 1 for second time (’09)…At 24 years, 10 months, he is the second-youngest to win 500 matches, only behind Bjorn Borg (23 years, 7 months)
• He opened year with a semi-final in Doha (l. to Davydneko) and followed with a quarter-final at the Australian Open where he injured his left adductor early in match against Ferrer (lost 64 62 63)
• In March, he led Spain to a 4-1 first round Davis Cup victory in Belgium by winning both of his singles matches (d. Ruben Bemelmans in second rubber, O. Rochus in dead rubber)…Spain plays U.S.in QFs

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• The all-time leader with 19 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles (since 1990) is 19-9 in ATP Masters 1000 finals…He has 208 career match wins (208-41), third behind Federer (238) and Agassi (209)
• He’s won at least two titles in each of the past six years (2005-10)…Won a personal-best four in 2005 and three each from 2007-10…He captured his 18th career title at age 23 and Agassi won his 17th title at age 34 in 2004…Has reached the final in eight of the current nine Masters 1000 finals (except Cincinnati)…He also won the former ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Hamburg in 2008
 
DJOKOVIC FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 23-year-old Serb has a 17-3 career mark and he’s appearing in his third final (1-1)…He lost only 11 games in his first three wins, over  Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 60 63, No. 14 Stanislas Wawrinka 64 61 and No. 5 Robin Soderling 63 60, before winning a 3:02 SF battle over No. 4 Murray 61 36 76(2)
• Has held serve 33 of 39 games (85%), saving 14 of 20 break points (70%)…He was broken five times in his semi-final win…Leads the tournament in return games won (18 of 36, 50%) and this year (42%)
• Last season he lost in the quarter-finals in three sets to No. 9 Fernando Verdasco
• Two years ago, he lost to No. 1 Nadal 76(2) 62 in the final…En route he defeated No. 2 Federer 46 63 63 in the semi-finals and No. 5 ranked del Potro 64 63 in the quarter-finals along with No. 13 seed Robredo 61 61 in the third round
• In 2008, he rallied to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka 46 63 63 in the final and went through the tournament without facing a seed…Posted wins over Belgian Steve Darcis (64 60), Igor Andreev (63 36 63), Nicolas Almagro (61 1-0 ret., right wrist injury) and Radek Stepanek (60 10 ret., heat stress)
• Made his debut in ‘07 and reached the quarters (d. Soderling, Baghdatis, l. to eventual champn Nadal)

2011 Highlights:
W: Australian Open (d Murray); Dubai (d Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (d Nadal); Belgrade (d Lopez); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (d Nadal)

2011 in Review:
• The World No. 2 comes in with a 36-0 match record on the season (12-0 on clay, 24-0 on hard), winning 77 of 86 sets, and he leads the ATP World Tour with a career-best six titles…Last year he didn’t win his 36th match until week of August 9th in Toronto
• He’s off to the best start since 1984 when John McEnroe went 42-0….Overall, he’s won 38 straight matches going back to last year’s Davis Cup final…He’s 12-0 vs. Top 10 foes (6-0 vs. Nadal-Federer)
…The most Top 10 wins he’s posted in a season was 15 in 2009 (11 in ’08)…Last year went 4-8
• He  leads the ATP World Tour with nine bagel sets won (two this week)
• Last Sunday he captured his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the year in Madrid, defeating World No. 1 Rafael Nadal 75 64…The only players to win four ATP Masters 1000 titles in a season was Federer-Nadal in 2005…He is the only player to defeat both Nadal and Federer three straight times in a season…He is 24-13 in career finals (6-3 on clay)….He is 8-6 in ATP Masters 1000 finals
• The week before he won his hometown title in Belgrade (d. Lopez) in his clay court season debut
• His four other titles have come on hard courts against Top 10 opponents, winning his second Australian Open (d. No. 5 Murray), Dubai (d. No. 2 Federer) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami (d. No. 1 Nadal in both)
• He moved to No. 2 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings on Mar. 21 after Indian Wells title (last year was No. 2 for 26 weeks)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a career mark of 126-39 and 8-6 in finals, winning titles in Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid (d. Nadal in each) this year…Madrid was sixth different title in his eighth different final (except Shanghai)
• In 2007, reached his first final in Indian Wells (l. to Nadal) and followed with his first title at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (d. Canas)…Also won in Montreal in ‘07, defeating the Top 3 players in succession – No. 3 Roddick (QF), No. 2 Nadal (SF) and No. 1 Federer (F)
• In 2008, won titles in Indian Wells (d. Fish), Rome and runner-up in Cincinnati (l. to Murray) and in ’09, won in Paris (d. Monfils)

SIX PACK OF WINNERS – Nadal is trying to become the first  player in the Open Era to win three tournaments at least six times. Here are the players to win at least six titles:

                                    Tournament        No.
Nadal, Rafael                  Monte Carlo        7 (in a row)
Sampras, Pete                 Wimbledon         7
Vilas, Guillermo               Buenos Aires       7
Nadal, Rafael                   Barcelona            6
Agassi, Andre                  Miami                 6
Borg, Bjorn                      Roland Garros     6
Federer, Roger                Wimbledon          6
Lendl, Ivan                      Canada               6
Taroczy, Balazs              Hilversum             6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nadal, Rafael                 Rome    5

DOUBLES FINAL – ALL-AMERICAN FINAL FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR IN ROME
• The No. 1-2 American singles duo of Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick take on Davis Cup teammates John Isner and Sam Querrey in Sunday’s doubles championship. It is the second straight year an all-American final is taking place in Rome. Last year the Bryans defeated Isner-Querrey.
• Fish and Roddick survived a 19-17 match tie-break in the first round over Berdych-Dlouhy and they ousted World No. 1 and defending champs the Bryan brothers in the quarter-finals. They are 2-0 together in ATP World Tour doubles finals (2002 Houston, 2009 Indian Wells). They have an 18-5 career match record as a duo.
• Individually, Fish is 8-1 in his career in ATP World Tour doubles finals while Roddick is 4-3. Both Fish and Roddick are looking for their second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 doubles titles, having won Indian Wells together in 2009
• Isner and Querrey are appearing in their fourth  ATP World Tour final together (1-2). Last year they won the title in Memphis (d. Hutchins-Kerr) and were finalists here in Rome (l. to Bryans). Last month they were runner-up in Houston (l. to Bryans).
• Both Isner and Querrey are 2-2 in their career in ATP World Tour doubles finals.