Mike told you about Rafael Nadal’s ascent to number one in the ATP Tour rankings. Had he won the Masters Series Cincinnati tournament, it would’ve happened Monday.
And then came third-ranked Novak Djokovic, delaying the anointment two weeks with his win in Saturday’s semifinals of the Masters Series Cincinnati. That’s where our journey begins.
If everything breaks his way the next six weeks, Djokovic, too, could pass Federer by the monday after the US Open. If he plays like he did Saturday, he’ll be a threat for number one before the year is out.
So, here’s how it played out (with pictures!):
Novak dominated, winning the first five games, thoroughly confusing Rafa. His fans, slightly more confused, tried to figure a way to wave the Serbian flag.
Well, at least they made an effort.
Anyhow, Novak rolled to set one, 6-1. The score was indicative of his domination: Djokovic was running Rafa around the court, then burning him with winners on both his backhand and forehand.
So, we went to the expert for the reason behind Novak’s success … my brother. Here’s his take on set one:
After the jump, more on the match, including Novak’s appearance on ESPN.
Set two, and Rafa started playing better. That made his fans go nuts … well, at least when the camera was there …
And then back to silent when it left.
Suddenly, at 3-2 Nadal in the second set, just as we thought he was coming back …
AHHHH!!!!
Black Sunday!!!!
Anyhow, Novak broke Rafa at 5-5 and served out the match. And, when you win on ESPN, you gotta scribble your name on the wipe screen. Yaaaaaaaaaaaay…
Then the ESPN folks gathered him through the tunnel to get him to the Gameday set. And we have an exclusive look at Novak’s walk … well, not quite exclusive. But exclusive to TMC:
And then Novak chummed it up with the ESPN crew:
As every Nikon and Canon flashed:
“Oh Novak, you’re so witty!”
And just like that, the night was over. Novak will play for the title against Andy Murray, and with any luck, he’ll give us more fodder for TMC. Cheers!
I’ll admit, I was shocked at the score of that first set. Rafa looked flat and Djoka was at the top of his game. He won the first 8 points which set the tone for the match. The rest of the hard court season is very much up in the air when considering that Murray is still on the rise, Novak is playing well, Rafa is… well Rafa and the psyche of R Fed is on the fence. Look forward to a great Olympics and Open
I’m thinking a lot of players might tank the Olympics to get back to the states and prepare for the Open. This run is brutal: Wimbledon, 2-week break, Toronto, Cincinnati, week break, Olympics, week break, US Open. You wonder about the player that gives everything in Beijing and has nothing left in New York.
I’d bet a quick exit for Murray in China. With his knee cap issue, it really wouldn’t be the worst thing for him.