World No. 2 beats Serbian rival 7-6, 6-3 to enter Rome Masters final
Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning the semi-final against Novak Djokovic in Rome on Saturday. Pics/AFP
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Rafael Nadal closed in on an eighth Rome Masters title as he dismissed old rival Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final for a record-extending 10th time. The last-four success will give the Spanish top seed confidence ahead of the French Open, where he has won a record 10 titles.
Nadal, still unbeaten in semi-finals at the Foro Italico, unleashed a trademark clay-court attack after winning a tight first set lasting well over an hour. "I need to be able to play my best tomorrow [Sunday]," Nadal said of the final against either defending champion Alexander Zverev or Croatian Marin Cilic, where a win will take him back to the World No. 1 spot.
Novak Djokovic during his match against Rafael Nadal on Saturday
"I'm very happy with my game. It all worked for me, the tactics, the shots. To play Novak you always have to play at the limit of your game with high intensity and understand the tactics you want to play."
The World No. 2 cut the deficit in his head-to-head series with Djokovic to 26-25, after their 51st meeting since first facing off in 2006. But the Serb complained afterwards about poor scheduling which affected his preparation, playing a late-afternoon quarter-final on Friday before returning to court on Saturday mid-afternoon.
"I don't want to seem like I'm complaining about losing the match because of the schedule. But having to end at night and coming back to play early in the day, affects a lot," said Djokovic.
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