US Open 2013 Men's Final: Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal, Where to Watch Live and Preview
One of tennis' fiercest rivalries will be renewed when Novak Djokovic takes on Rafael Nadal at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the final of the 2013 US Open men's singles. The Serb is in pursuit of his seventh Grand Slam title, while the 27-year-old Spaniard targets his 13th major, with Roger Federer's all-time record of 16 Slams now in touching distance.
Where to Watch Live
The match starts at 10pm BST, with Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD 1 providing live coverage in the UK. You can also catch all the scores and updates, in real time, from the tournament's official web site.
Overview
World No 1 Djokovic entered the final after triumphing in a five-set thriller against ninth-seed Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka on Saturday, in a match that very much deserved to be the final. The 26-year-old lost the second and third sets but fought back brilliantly to eventually win the tie 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the decider for the fourth year in a row.
Meanwhile, Nadal produced yet another convincing performance in the semi-final, beating eighth-seed Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets 6-4, 7-6, 6-2. The world No 2 is in top form at the moment, cruising past all his opponents in this tournament, dropping just one set so far.
Player Comparison
Both are aggressive baseline players who never give up points easily. They both have great agility, footspeed, court coverage, fitness and determination, which will all be on show today, especially during long rallies.
Djokovic's return of serve and groundstrokes remain his biggest weapons, while his service, movement and backhand have improved greatly in recent years and now matches the best in the sport. The Serb also possesses a strong defence, just like Nadal, and has great speed and reflexes, allowing him to find winners from seemingly defensive positions.
Nadal, on the other hand, is arguably one of the best defensive players in tennis history. The world no. 2 is also a good counter-puncher and possesses heavy topspin ground-strokes and fine drop-shots. The Spaniard can hit the ball deep and flat and has an orthodox follow through that enables clean winners.
Head-to-Head
Nadal leads the ATP head-to-head against Djokovic 21-15 overall and 7-3 in Grand Slam meetings. The Spaniard also holds a 2-1 lead in the three previous meetings between the pair this year. However, Djokovic still leads Nadal 11-6 on hard courts and 3-2 in Grand Slam finals.
US Open History
There is practically nothing separating the two in tournament history. This is Djokovic's fifth (and fourth successive) appearance in the final at the Flushing Meadows, having triumphed in 2011, beating the then-defending champion Nadal in four sets. Meanwhile, for Spaniard, this is the third appearance at the US Open final, having lifted the title in 2010, beating none other than Djokovic, also in four sets.
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